The Land Before Time: Journey of the Seven Heroes
by Heritor
Summary: Littlefoot and friends learn where the Rainbow Faces are from- personally! Cast into a new world with new powers, facing old foes and strange creatures called beasts, they must thwart Dusk's plan for the stone of cold fire, else their world is doomed.
1. Prologue

Author's note: Well, I finally finished part two. For those of you who didn't read the summary, this story is a sequel, so won't be understood without reading its predecessor, The Land Before Time: Dawn of the Seven Heroes. With my first story, I had posted a new chapter daily (minus the one or two times I simply forgot and the few days my computer was in for repairs) but this time, I'll be spreading them out a bit more. Now, without further ado, here is the story.

**The Land Before Time: **

**Journey of the Seven Heroes**

**Prologue**

In which a tired father resumes the adventure.

"Ugh, my poor back."

"Serves you right. Is our son going to bed late tonight?"

"No ma'am."

"I see that you've learned your lesson. Here, let me rub some ointment on your back."

"Thank you!"

"Whoa there. I'm not doing it for you. Do you think I want to hear you groaning all night in bed?"

"No, dear."

Loud footsteps were suddenly heard approaching the living room at a fast pace. The couple turned to see their son run up to them. He placed his hands on his knees as he hunched over to catch his breath.

"What's the hurry?" his father asked.

"I know we can't stay up late tonight, so I stopped playing with my friends early so you could continue the story," he explained.

The father looked to his wife who nodded back.

"All the work for the day is done," she said.

"Yahoo!" their son cried.

The father went back to his room to grab the book but returned with a flustered look.

"I can't seem to find it! Did I leave it in your room?" he asked his son.

"No, you didn't. Don't tell me you lost it! Nooooo!"

His father laughed and pulled his hands out from behind his back, revealing the book.

"Dad! That wasn't funny!"

His father merely chuckled.

"Well, I'm going to bed early tonight. Have fun you two. And if I catch you keeping our son up late again," she began, "it won't just be your back that gets sore next time."

Her husband gulped. She then left the living room to rest in her quarters.

"Are we going to read it here or in my room?" he asked his father.

"Eh, this room is a bit more comfortable. Is here okay with you?"

"I don't care where we read it. I just want to get started again. Come on."

He grinned at his son's impatience then motioned with his hand. The boy got up and made his way onto his father's lap. Clearing his throat, he opened the book and started to read. "Journey of the Seven Heroes," he began.


	2. Chapter I

Author's note: I have decided to update once every three days.

**Chapter I: Out With the Old and in With the New**

In which power is lost but not for long.

Eight dinosaurs, seven young and one old, stood in a grassy meadow full of flowers. Spike licked his chops and grabbed some food growing from the ground.

Reina let out a heavy sigh and asked, "Will they EVER get the coordinates right? I'm even farther away than last time."

"Huh?" Littlefoot asked.

"Oh, the teleporter is supposed to take us back home. Some idiots, however, never seen to get the location right when they use it. This time, they didn't even get close."

"A- teleporter?" Cera wondered curiously.

"A handy device some of us created to send dinosaurs to other worlds and back. It's powered by energy extracted from the stone and can only work every so often. But that's not important. We need to hurry and get back to my home so we can make a plan for what to do about Dus-" but she was interrupted by a howling.

They all turned to see a small creature on four legs with grey fir all over his body. He glared at the group and bared his teeth. Reina opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. The kids turned to her curiously.

"Why you move mouth but no speak?" Petrie asked. "And what that?"

Reina continued moving her mouth as if to speak, but no words came out.

"I don't know what's going on, but that thing doesn't look very friendly," Littlefoot pointed out. "We may have to fight it." Reina nodded vigorously and flailed her arms.

"I'll handle him," Cera announced. "He doesn't look so tough." She made eye contact with the beast who started to charge her. The grass in the area suddenly grew very tall and wrapped around the creature's legs. He stopped short as Cera grinned, but the grass quickly resumed normal size.

"What?" Cera asked. The beast ran up and pounced on her.

"Me help!" Petrie yelled and flapped his wings. Wind shot at the beast but it was so weak that it barely ruffled his fir coat.

"Get him off!" Cera exclaimed on her back, pushing his head away to keep from being bitten. Ruby shot wind of her own, but like Petrie's, it barely fazed him.

"Light, shine within my heart!" Littlefoot yelled, suddenly glowing white. "Cleansing Wave!" A wall of light flew from his body and hit the creature. The wave turned a slight shade of red as it passed through him. The beast stopped, shook his head a few times, then continued trying to bite Cera. She was struggling hard, but the animal suddenly let out a yelp as Chomper bit his tail hard. He quickly got off of her and ran away, tail throbbing and bleeding between his legs as he fled into the distance. Littlefoot then released his power and changed back. Chomper spit out blood and a couple of hairs that had gotten stuck in his teeth, then Reina finally spoke.

"Ugh, those Silence Stalkers are a real pain."

"I thought you said that the only dinosaurs in your world are Rainbow Faces," Ruby pointed out.

"What, you think dinosaurs are the only creatures in the universe? This world is inhabited by powerful creatures called beasts. They are generally mean and all have at least one special ability. That beast was a Silence Stalker. They stalk their prey and can silence someone by looking at the guy and howling so he or she can't use magic that has to be said aloud. The only upside is, they can just have one silenced at a time, and once they get far enough away, the effect fades."

"So what you're saying is, we'll have to fight more than just Dusk's group?" Cera inquired.

"Yes. I am afraid that you'll have to fight any beasts that cross your path as well. Unfortunately, it looks like that'll be easier said than done. Your powers are nearly gone."

"Is it from being away from the stone so long?" Ducky asked her.

"No, the stone sends its energy across this whole world at once now. We created a device that is attached to the stone that magnifies its energy to spread all over the planet. It was removed back when it was stolen, but it was put back on when we retrieved it. Anyway, some of us theorized that non Rainbow Face dinosaurs couldn't support the stone's power indefinitely because of having foreign body make ups, and we seem to have been right. Your bodies have been slowly rejecting the magic since the very beginning. Now it looks like you're nearly powerless."

"So that's why our attacks were so weak against that thing," Ruby said.

"What!" Cera shouted. "We're going to lose our powers? How will we fight Dusk now?"

"Think, Cera," Ruby continued. "If this is happening to us, it'll happen to Dusk's group as well. The Rainbow Faces won't have any trouble handling powerless dinosaurs."

"That is a good point," Reina added, and Ruby beamed. "However, you don't fully understand. Each type of magic has a different form of energy. When your powers are fully gone, you'll start to get new ones. The stone was designed to keep creatures empowered. It will therefore do just that. Your first powers matched your personal styles completely. Next, you'll get new magic that will likely be completely random."

"Hm," Littlefoot began. "Light, shine within my heart!" There was a tiny spark of light, but he did not change.

"Looks you're all nearly due for some new abilities. I bet you'll have them by the time we get home. I'm starting to move us now." Reina tapped each of the children. "Transport!" The meadow of eight dinosaurs suddenly became a meadow of zero.

"That feels so good. Thank you," a black Sharptooth told a white one.

"Happy to be of help," she replied as she continued to massage his back.

"Tell me. Do you really think we'll find someone to help make my wish?"

"I am not sure, my lord. A dinosaur can only help make one wish. To be perfectly honest, it is unlikely that we'll find a stranger who'll give up his or her wish just like that. We can hope, of course, but we must acknowledge that there isn't much of it."

Dusk sighed. "You are right. It is unlikely- but not impossible. I'll keep looking if it takes my whole life."

"And I'll be by your side to the end."

"I appreciate that. Now, while this feels quite relaxing, your fingers must be tired. Why not get some rest?"

"Oh, my fingers are never too tired for you, my lord! I'll keep going."

Dusk couldn't hold back a smile at her dedication. Knowing she would do this all day for him, he got to his feet.

"I'm going for a walk," he told her.

"Okay! Let's go."

"Err, I'd like some time alone to think."

"Oh."

Dusk walked down the hill and headed for the creek. "If it will take years to find someone for my wish, do I really want to waste so much of Menta's life in the process? Maybe I should do this alone."

He cupped his hands and dipped them in the water. He then brought the water to his face, splashing himself to cool off. He did this again and was about to do so a third time when he saw a reflection in the water he was holding. He pretended not to notice, and brought the liquid to his face yet again. Then he suddenly turned. "Shadow Pull!"

The flying creatures suddenly dropped a short distance but quickly regained her altitude as she swooped down to nab him.

"What in the world?" he wondered. "My Shadow Pull should have slammed her to the ground."

The creature rammed into him with her claws out. Dusk grabbed her in midair and threw her to the ground. He then jumped on her only to yelp in pain. Her feathers had suddenly gotten as sharp as thorns. They hadn't gone in very deep, but Dusk's side was still bleeding all over. The beast quickly took back to the air and came right for him. Her now-sharp prickles were aimed right for his face. Dusk quickly raised his hands to shield himself, but the flying creature suddenly squawked and flew up higher. A large rock had been thrown that hit her squarely on her head. Dusk turned to see a familiar white Sharptooth holding another stone.

"Just try and attack him again!" she called, her next projectile in a poised position. She then dived towards Menta at an incredible speed, but the Sharptooth threw the rock hard and it bonked the beast on the nose, drawing blood. She had finally had enough and flew away, squawking in anger.

Menta quickly reached down and grabbed a large leaf. She ran over to Dusk and put in his side, pressing hard to stop the bleeding.

"I said I wanted to be alone," he told her, much to her surprise.

"But, my lord, I-"

"You saved me, but you disobeyed me yet again. How can I trust you?"

"I- I-"

Dusk sighed and lowered his head. "I'm sorry. Thank you for coming for me. I'm just stressed, that's all."

Menta came over and rubbed her cheek against his. "You don't have to apologize. I understand. Oh, and did your power fail too?"

"Ah, that's right. My Shadow Pull had almost no effect. I wondered why you were throwing stones and not using your psychic power. Do you think there's something wrong with the stone? Maybe that thing those Rainbow Faces put on it is disrupting its energy."

"No, I read a few minds when we went and stole the stone back. It just allows its power to flow across the whole world. Sorry that I forgot to mention this earlier."

"It's okay. I just wish I knew why we lost our powers. It's going to be real tough traveling here with no special abilities. I wonder if the others and the Rainbow Faces have too."

"It looks like we're about to get half the answer," Menta announced. Agu, Coaley, and Ceit came over to them.

"How was the search for food?" Dusk asked them.

"We found a strange creature and attacked it but barely made it away with our lives. All our powers are gone."

Dusk looked very concerned then said, "This is not good. We have no way home without Coaley's Warp power." The rest of them exchanged worried glances.

"Perhaps if we return the stone, those Rainbow Faces could take us back," Ceit suggested. Dusk scowled at him.

"There is no way I'm giving up on my dream! You can forget that idea right now!"

"I- I'm sorry, ma lord," he stammered.

"Hey guys," Ali called as she too approached.

"I'm sorry, Ali. Did we wake you up from your nap, dear?" Menta asked.

"Nah, you guys weren't that loud. I just got up to get a drink and saw you all down here. Is everything okay? You guys look worried."

"Very perceptive of you," Dusk told her. "Do a dance of strength for us."

"Why?"

"Please."

Ali obeyed. Saying "Strength," she started to dance. The group felt a tiny twinge in their bodies but gained no power at all.

"Why-?"

"That's what's troubling us. Our powers are leaving us. We won't stand a chance in this world without our magic," Dusk replied.

Suddenly, the group all froze. The Sharpteeth and Long Neck felt odd, but they recognized the sensation. After a few moments, Dusk grinned.

"Looks like we'll be okay after all."


	3. Chapter II

**Chapter II: Troublesome Berries and a New Plan**

In which there is an unfortunate snack, and Dusk comes up with an idea.

"We're nearly there," Reina announced.

"Uh oh. It looks like I won't be of as much help as you thought," Cera suddenly admitted.

Reina turned to her with a perplexed look before noticing the reason herself.

"I got my new power, so I won't be able to track Dusk through plants," the now-red Three Horn admitted.

The Rainbow Face turned to the others. "Judging by the new colors, I see that you've all been newly empowered." They nodded in agreement, save Littlefoot. Ducky was now turquoise, Petrie tan, Ruby dark brown, Chomper dark yellow, and Spike brown. "Much as I'd like a demonstration of what you can do now, we need to get home. Transport!" And with that, they all vanished again. This time, they arrived near a small creek surrounded by berry bushes.

"Hooray!" Petrie thought to himself. "Me starving." He reached down and grabbed a couple of the berries.

"I just need to rest for a short bit. Moving such a large group so many times really wears me out," Reina told them. Then she noticed what Petrie was doing. She quickly smacked his small body, and the berries he was holding fell to the ground.

"What you do that for?" he demanded.

"Would you like to hallucinate for a while?"

"What that?"

"Ugh. Seeing things that aren't there. Those berries aren't safe to eat. I'm only glad I caught you in time."

"Err, about that…"

"You mean you ate some already!"

"Heh heh…"

Reina smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. Suddenly, Petrie screamed.

"Ah! Where everyone go!"

The kids looked at each other.

"Petrie, we're all right here," Littlefoot said.

"Me no know how you know my name or what you did with my friends, but you won't get away with this!" Petrie then landed on a tree limb and raised a wing, shouting "Come forth, Stone Golem!"

"Look out! We must look like monsters to him!" Reina shouted.

A large rock descended from the sky. It landed hard enough to shake the ground then opened up. Legs, arms, and a head protruded from the stone. It got up, standing several feet tall, then rushed the group.

"Great, Petrie's a summoner now. Okay, kids, take down that Stone Golem!" Reina called out.

Spike charged the beast head-on and the impact knocked it back, but it quickly regained his footing. It grabbed Spike by the tail and threw him into the creek.

"Spike!" Ducky shouted.

Chomper rushed over to the creature who then put his arms together and tried slamming down onto the little Sharptooth. Chomper quickly dashed between its legs and clawed it in the back.

"Ow!" he cried out.

"Fool! You can't scratch stone!" Reina shouted.

Suddenly, the creature shrank to a much smaller size as Cera stepped forward. Ruby came up to it and quickly tapped its side. Her body suddenly turned grey and became as hard as stone. She punched the beast hard, knocking it down.

"Come on, get up!" Petrie encouraged.

The Stone Golem got back to its feet and lifted an arm into the sky. Boulders began to come crashing down towards Ruby and Cera, but Chomper sped over and knocked them out of the way. The beast then returned to its normal size. It turned as a stick hit him in the head, but it saw no one. Another stick seemed to float into the air and hit it from behind. Though they were doing no damage, the projectiles frustrated it, and it flailed around. Yet another twig came hurdling towards its head, but shortly before impact, it grew to the size of a large log and slammed the beast into a tree.

Ducky suddenly came into view and ran over to the others. Finally, Littlefoot stepped forward.

"This should be amusing," Reina thought to herself.

"Fire, blaze within my soul!" the young Long Neck shouted. His body shimmered deep red and his eyes glowed brightly. He opened his mouth and a large stream of fire blasted the Stone Golem on its chest. It was barely fazed, however, and began to approach him. It shot a large rock from its hand, but Littlefoot jumped out of the way.

"So, fire attacks are no good, eh? Not a problem! Water, flow within my mind!" Littlefoot's body turned a deep blue and small fins emerged from the backs of his feet. The golem shot another boulder, but Littlefoot's body suddenly became transparent and it simply went right through him. "Ah. You have- one strong body," Littlefoot said slowly. "Hard to really relax- in a fight with someone- like you. Oh well. Let's see here… Ah. I have an idea."

Littlefoot opened his mouth, and a large bubble began forming outside it. When it was the right size, he blew the bubble towards the Stone Golem's face and it enveloped its head. The beast started banging on it, but it would not break.

"All done. He's finished when- he runs out of air. Time for- a little nap." Then Littlefoot lied down to rest.

The creatures continued banging on his head furiously until it began breathing hard and gasping for breath. After a couple minutes, it crumbled to dust.

"Not bad," Reina told them. "Let me see if I have this right. Cera can change the size of things, Ruby can become like anything she touches, Ducky can become Invisible, Spike is really strong, Chomper is really fast, and Littlefoot's new transformations are fire and water." The others all nodded, minus Petrie and sleeping Littlefoot.

"That is funny," Ducky remarked. "I used to have the power of water, but I couldn't do the things that Littlefoot just did."

"I'm sure it's because he transforms, making himself one with the element. Any other water user can only manipulate it to a small degree. He becomes like water itself and gains the power to create inside of him," Reina theorized. "And, like last time, it seems that his personality changes with each element."

"Huh? When did you guys come back?" Petrie asked them.

"Looks like he's fine now," Ruby announced.

"Petrie you big goof! You attacked us!"

"Me do what!"

"When I get a hold of you-"

"Easy, Cera," Ruby cut in. "It wasn't his fault. It was those berries messing with his head. If you'd've eaten them, I bet that you'd've attacked us as well."

"Hmph!"

"Okay, let's get moving again. And NO eating unless you ask me first," Reina warned.

Chomper walked over and nudged Littlefoot. "Wake up, buddy. We're about to get moving again."

"Aw. I was- so comfortable too. Can't we- rest a little longer?"

"I haven't figured out his fire yet, but his water personality is lazy as all get out. If he wants to rest, fine. He just won't get much of it with all the motion. Moving now. Transport!"

xxxxx

"Where am I? Where's the herd? Rhett? Mom? What's going on?" a frightened, dark-red Long Neck cried.

"Oh dear. I forgot that new powers means that Ceit is no longer an illusionist. We can't hold onto her anymore," dark-grey Dusk bemoaned.

"Not to worry!" Agu, the yellow Sharptooth, exclaimed. "It just so happens that I am now an illusionist. Yep, I got Ceit's old power this time."

"Perfect! Now quickly put her memory back the way it was," Dusk instructed.

Ali started to run in fear. Menta raised her light green arm towards the Long Neck saying "Slow," and Ali suddenly slowed down. She was still running, but her body wasn't making as much distance. Finally, she stopped altogether and looked back.

"What am I doing over here?" she asked the others.

"Drawing a blank, are we?" Dusk asked. "You must be tired. You're over there because you were going on a little walk."

"Oh. Wait. If I was just walking, why am I out of breath?"

"Well, uh- you were walking pretty fast," Dusk quickly thought up.

"Oh."

"So what is the plan, my lord?" Menta asked as Ali walked off a bit.

Dusk took a deep breath then let it out slowly. "Perhaps we could find someone and have Agu alter his or her memories to help us."

"But, my lord, only one dinosaur can be altered at a time. If we do that, Ali won't help us. She'll be too frightened, like before," Menta countered.

"Every time she has been freed from our grasp, she wonders about her mother. We can use that to get her to help us even without her being manipulated."

"You're gong to capture her mother?" Ceit, who was now violet, asked in surprise. "Even if we do find a way home, being back will return the stone to taking a life."

"Not that that would really matter, but no, I wasn't thinking of capturing her mother. We don't need to, right, Agu?"

"Right! Err, why?"

Sighing, he replied, "You can make an illusion that looks like her."

"Oh, right. But wait! I never saw which Long Neck from her herd was her mother."

"I'll describe her to you when the time comes. I saw which adult she was walking closest to. Now, let's get moving. If we keep going, we're bound to run into a Rainbow Face sooner or later," Dusk told the group.

"Are we going back to that large dwelling place where we stole the stone?" Ceit asked.

"No. That place is swarming with Rainbow Faces. We were able to get the stone back because we appeared very close to it. Ceit merely made us all look like they do and the stone just like a regular rock, then we just walked out. Now, they will surely be on their guard. I'll bet they have other illusionists all over."

"What difference would that make?" Ali asked.

"Because, my dear, illusionists aren't deceived by others' illusions. They look normal to them. You were sleeping when Ceit explained his power a while back," Dusk explained.

"Aw," Coaley said. She was thrilled with her new pink body but now was sad again.

"What's wrong, Coaley?" Menta asked.

"I looked so cute as a little Rainbow Face too."

"Don't worry," Agu assured her. "I'll make you look like one right now."

"Really! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed.

Agu focused, and Coaley suddenly vanished from sight in a puff of black smoke. When the air cleared, Coaley rushed over to the creek to see herself.

"Agu!" Menta said angrily.

"Ahhhhh!" Coaley screamed in terror. She looked like a walking skeleton. Menta ran over to her, and Coaley clutched her tightly.

"Change her back this instant!" Menta demanded.

"Alright. Sheesh. Can't a guy have a little fun?"

The smoke returned, and Coaley's skin was now visible again. Still, Coaley continued to clutch Menta, having not gotten over her shock.

"It's okay, dear. You can look at your reflection now," Menta assured.

Coaley opened her eyes and looked down, then quickly grabbed Menta again and started to cry.

"Coaley, what's the matt-" but Menta stopped when she looked at her forehead more closely. "Okay, Agu, take away the horns. Now!"

Agu rolled his eyes, and the smoke returned.

"If anything is wrong this time, I promise you, you'll regret it." Agu gulped. "Don't worry, Coaley. I'm positive you can look now."

Coaley opened one eye and looked down. She looked like her old self again, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Dusk would have said something to Agu, but Menta clearly had it under control.

"That Agu," Dusk thought to himself. "I hope he continues to be an asset and doesn't just make trouble for us."


	4. Chapter III

**Chapter III: Attacked on Both Fronts**

In which the two groups get into a little trouble.

"Whoa. What- is all of this?" Cera asked.

"Houses. They're like the caves in the Great Valley, only we make them ourselves. We use things like wood, rocks, and such," Reina answered.

Several Rainbow Faces looked out their windows and gazed at the travelers. Two young ones who were playing with a ball suddenly stopped and stared. The entire village grew completely silent.

"What?" Cera asked. "You all act like you've never seen a Three Horn before."

"They've all seen a Three Horn before, but the rest of you are an unusual sight, I have to say."

One of the little Rainbow Faces dropped the ball and it rolled over to Chomper. He stooped over and picked it up. Walking over to the little boy, he said, "Here ya go," and let loose a toothy grin. He and his brother took one look at his shiny, sharp teeth and ran into their house.

"Was it something I said?"

"Hardly. They're just not used to dinosaurs like you."

"Oh."

"Anyway, we're nearly home." Reina then pointed to a huge building made of stone.

"That mountain is where you all live?" Ducky asked.

"Well, it's not a- oh forget it. Yeah, that's the place. One more Transport and we'll be at the entrance." And with that, she whisked them away one more time until they all stood before Reina's dwelling.

Two older Rainbow Faces stood, one on each side, by the entrance. When Reina and the others appeared, they bowed before her. The guards then opened the heavy doors and Reina motioned for the kids to follow. They entered and began walking down a long hallway. The kids gaped at their surroundings and were too in awe to speak. There were several tables with flower vases lined up along the passageway, each sitting beneath a portrait. As they reached the end of the hall, two more guards stood waiting to open the next door. As they group continued farther, they entered a large room. Two wooden chairs sat against the back wall, and Rey sat in one of them. He arose when he saw them and waved. Ruby suddenly broke the silence.

"Rey! You're alright. I was so worried about you after you saved me. Thank you so much."

"I was happy to do my part, and I'm all better now. Even my arm injury from before is totally gone."

"Yeah, and next time you want to 'Do your part,' try not being an idiot at the same time," Reina told him. The two guards chuckled slightly but quickly held their tongues when she glared at them.

"Now," Rey continued, "down to business. I don't know any plant sorcerers personally, nor does Reina, so Cera, your power will be the key in tracking Dusk down."

"Err…" she replied.

"Our old theory was right. They finally lost their powers and got new ones. We'll need a new plan now," Reina told him.

"I see. So, what can you all do now?" Rey asked them.

Suddenly, the stone building gave a great lurch. A guard ran into the room and knelt before Rey.

"My liege! The Red Dragon Tribe is on the assault!"

"What! We made peace with them months ago! What is fueling this attack?"

"No idea, my liege. Shall we mount a counterattack?"

"Yes, of cour- wait… These children will fend them off."

The kids looked at Rey in surprise while the dwelling shook again.

"You want us to fight off this Red Dragon Tribe? Why not have the Rainbow Faces do it?" Cera asked. "Besides, we don't even know what they can do."

"Exactly. Good fighters can enter any battle without knowledge and achieve success. You don't know what Dusk's group can do now. Do you think they will explain their powers to you before battling again? This is a fine opportunity to learn the true art of combat. I have faith in you and your abilities. Now please, defend the kingdom."

Littlefoot took on a stern expression. "You can count on us. Come on, guys!" And the kids all ran down the hallway and out the door.

"Guard."

"Yes?"

"Keep a full battalion ready in case of a problem."

"Sir!" he exclaimed before doing as he was told.

"What was all that faith junk about if you were just going to have the guards ready anyway?" Reina asked him.

"The children need to be given confidence, but I'm not about to leave my kingdom's fate up to them. The Red Dragon Tribe- they've never faced anything like them. Besides, it's a win/win situation. If they succeed, they'll never know my orders. If they fail, my kingdom is still safe."

"Care to make a little wager?" Reina asked as the castle lurched again.

"I'm listening."

"If the kids win without help, I get the whole bed tonight."

"What? Why?"

"You move around too much."

"Hmph. And if they end up needing help, you have to massage my back until I fall asleep tonight."

"Deal."

xxxxx

"Dusky, my feet are hurting," Coaley said in a low tone.

"Here. Hop on my back. I'll carry you."

"Yay! You're the best, Dusky," she cried as she situated herself on back of him.

"Hey, Menta," Agu whispered. "My feet are hurt-"

"Forget it!"

"Sheesh, sorry."

"Ma lord!" Ceit shouted, flying back down to the others. "I've spotted an area inhabited by Rainbow Faces not far from here."

"Excellent work. Is there much distance between us and them?" Dusk asked.

"Well, there is a large mountain, but we could always cross the water. There is a river flowing through the mountain, coming out on two sides, so we'd have to go over it to avoid a steep hike."

"Then we'll go over the river. Trekking across a mountain would take too long and would surely tire us out. Lead the way, Ceit."

"Yes, ma lord."

The six dinosaurs walked through an open field of dry grass. Ali was very hungry, so the quality of the food didn't matter. She lowered her head and grabbed a mouthful of the grass and started chewing. No sooner had she swallowed when a loud voice boomed through the air.

"Who dares eat from field of mine?"

Dusk and the others quickly looked around them but saw no one. Then, the ground beneath Ali's feet broke open and a large creature emerged, clutching her in his arm. He stood on two feet, towering over the others and had bulging muscles all over. In his other hand, he held a blunt piece of wood.

"If you don't put her down right now, you're going to regret it," Dusk announced.

"Will I, puny creature?" he asked back. He then lifted his club and slammed down at Dusk. The Sharptooth lifted his hand and energy poured out. It hardened and absorbed most of the impact of the blow. Dusk recoiled slightly but quickly released more energy, forming a small ball. He threw it at the beast, but he knocked it back. The orb of energy was about to hit Dusk when Menta shouted, "Stop!" The ball of energy halted in mid air then finally dissipated.

The beast stomped his foot on the ground so hard that they all lost their footing and fell to the ground, minus Ceit. As he lifted his weapon to crush Dusk, Ceit called out, "Switch!"

Dusk vanished, and in his place appeared a large rock. The impact of wailing on a huge stone with all his might caused him to drop Ali.

"Dusk!" she shouted. "Quick, hit him with more energy!"

"But he's so strong. He can just hit it back."

"Not with my help, he can't. Dusk, Fuse!" Ali suddenly became transparent and drifted into Dusk's body. "Now, let him have it! With me powering you up, your power is much stronger!" Dusk heard in his head.

Dusk began forming more energy, but the beast charged him.

"Slow!" Menta called out, and the beast's movement greatly decreased.

By the time he got over to the Sharptooth, Dusk had finished the orb. He threw it straight at him and the creature lifted his club to knock it back, but this time it broke right through it and nailed him on the chest. The explosion knocked him back a large distance, and he clutched himself in pain.

"You win. Finish me; get it over with."

"No. This fight is over," Dusk announced. "We stole from you, so to pay you back, we're giving you your life. Now get lost before I change my mind."

The beast quickly fled and Menta turned to Agu.

"A little help next time maybe?"

"Sorry. It's really hard holding onto you-know-who and fighting at the same time. Besides, Coaley did nothing too."

"Coaley isn't a fighter," Menta replied. "But anyway, I guess I shouldn't ask so much of someone so young. Ceit is obviously just a better illusionist."

"Hey! I'm just as good as anyone!"

"Ceit held on and fought. You can't."

"I can too! I'm just getting warmed up. You'll see. Next fight, I'll be a huge help."

Menta winked at Dusk, and he grinned.

xxxxx

The kids finally made it out of the castle and looked up. Winged creatures breathing fire were blasting the towers. Each was about three times the size of Littlefoot.

"Let's get 'em!" Cera shouted.

"Wait," Littlefoot said. "Rey said something about being at peace with these guys. Maybe we should find out why they're attacking."

"Does it LOOK like they're up for a conversation? They're shooting this place. I say we attack now and ask questions later," Cera proposed.

"Fine. Fire, blaze within my soul!" Littlefoot's body glowed deep red like an ember. "Alright! Let's do this!" Fire shot out from underneath his feet and he was propelled upward. He knocked into one of the dragons, and they came hurdling towards the ground.

Cera quickly turned to a flower and said, "Grow!" The plant enlarged to many times its original size and caught them, cushioning the impact of the fall. The dragon quickly got up and blasted Littlefoot in the face with fire.

"Littlefoot!" Chomper screamed.

But when the flames cleared, Littlefoot was unharmed.

"Fire can't hurt me when I'm like this. Oh, yeah!" Littlefoot took in a deep breath and scorched the dragon with fire. However, the beast too was unharmed. "Lucky! You're protected from this element too."

The dragon raised a claw to slash at the Long Neck but Spike charged and sent the beast hard into a large puddle. There was a large mass of steam and the dragon writhed in pain.

"Oh ho! So that's what hurts you. Water, flow within my mind!" Littlefoot turned a deep blue and small fins protruded from the backs of his feet. He shot water from his mouth all over the dragon who then began to yelp.

"No more! Stop, please!"

"Ah. I see. So, you can talk, huh?" Littlefoot asked in a sleepy tone.

"Why are you guys attacking this place?" Chomper asked him.

"We were told that the Rainbow Faces are planning an attack against us, so we decided to strike first."

"While you guys- talk this out- I'm gonna- take a little nap," Littlefoot announced, lying down.

"What was told to you isn't true, so why would you be told that?" Ruby asked. "The Rainbow Faces are still at peace with you."

"But, that dark-grey beast assured us that they were. His story was so detailed."

"That's all it was- a story," Cera told him. "Now call off your friends before we do something about them ourselves."

"Yes, of course," he replied, taking to the skies and calling out.

"A 'dark-grey beast'," Chomper repeated. "Do you think he means- Dusk?"

Littlefoot yawned. "Maybe."

"I do not think so, oh no, oh no," Ducky cut in. "Dusk is black, remember?"

"He was, but we got new powers and colors, so they probably did too. Who else is at odds with the Rainbow Faces here?" Cera asked aloud.

"No one is," Reina answered, walking over to them. "I heard everything. Dusk must be trying to keep our hands full so we won't be able to focus on finding him. Clever guy… Anyway, nice work. You guys really didn't get much combat experience from this, but oh well. The dragons are leaving, and it'll be a comfortable night indeed for me."

"Why do you say that?" Ducky asked her.

Reina giggled. "Oh, it's nothing."


	5. Chapter IV

**Chapter IV: Separated with a First Drink**

In which Dusk's group split, and Littlefoot has a first encounter.

"I wonder, do you think any of them are coming after us?" Ali asked.

"At least, I don't think they will for a while. Our encounter with that red creature not long after arriving here was sheer luck," Dusk replied. "They should be busy for a while."

Flash Back

A giant, winged beast swooped down and clutched Dusk in his talons. Seconds later, he was instead clutching a small branch. He threw it down in anger and confusion and dived for Dusk again, who was on the ground once more. Dusk forced energy through his claw making long, powerful extensions. Just as the dragon was upon him a second time, Dusk thrust his arm up and cut into his belly. He reeled in pain, falling to the ground.

"Just try and eat me! Dragon meat will make you sick."

"Much as I think you're bluffing, I'm not going to eat you. Wait, are you familiar with a dwelling place of Rainbow Faces in that direction?" he asked, pointing.

"Yes. My kind and I know them. We agreed to leave each other in peace."

"Odd. Very odd."

"Why?"

"I heard them talking about launching an attack on dragons they recently made peace with. 'They'll never suspect us until it's too late,' was what Rey said."

"By the blood of our sovereign! They'll never get away with this. We'll attack them first. Thank you, stranger, but, why would you tell me this?"

"I was disgusted with Rey's breach of promise. That's why I left that area. A double crosser deserves punishment. See to it that you make him pay for his treachery."

"You bet I will!"

End of Flash Back

"Here we are," Ceit told them. Before the group flowed a large river, and a high mountain stood nearby. "By the way, I came up with the perfect plan to get you all safely across."

"Go on," Dusk encouraged.

"I'll just use my switching power to move you all."

"Genius! The power to switch the position of two things is incredibly useful," Dusk commented.

"Aye," he replied, flying over to the other side. "First up. Switch!"

Dusk appeared on the opposite side of the river and where he was, a flower was now resting.

"Okay, just wait a bit for my cool down, and I'll move another."

After a few moments, Menta came to the other side, then Coaley, then Ali. The young, female Sharptooth saw a small flower with little seeds sticking out and picked it up to admire. Just as Ceit was about to move Agu, she blew the seeds away and watched them scatter in the wind. Unfortunately, some of them blew right up Ceit's beak. Just as he said, "Switch!" he sneezed.

Agu vanished, but instead of appearing on the side, he was dropped off early- right into the river.

"Ceit, quick, get him!" Dusk shouted.

"My power is still cooling. Almost ready."

Agu was splashing and sputtering in the water and yelling, "Help!"

Just as Ceit was starting to say "Switch," Agu went under. Dusk immediately jumped in after him, but stopped in midair when Menta shouted, "Stop!"

Then Ceit shouted, "Switch!" and Dusk was back on the ground.

"Menta, why did you stop me!" Dusk roared.

"I- I'm sorry, my lord. I just- I just couldn't risk losing you too."

"I could have saved him!"

"No, the river is too strong. You'd've been swept away as well."

"You would really leave Agu to drown?"

"I would not leave both of you to drown, no."

"Ugh, you fool! You're letting your feelings for me cloud your judgment. Get out of my sight!"

"But-" though a furious glare from his eyes shut her up quickly.

"I am going to follow the river to see if he survived. If I find him dead, his blood is on your hands."

Menta shivered.

"I'll accompany you, ma lord," Ceit told him.

"No, it's been a long journey. You all rest here; I'm going alone." And with that, Dusk took off at a quick pace in search of his friend. Menta started to follow when he vanished from sight, but Ceit clutched her arm and shook his head.

xxxxx

"I don't believe this! I can't sleep on the floor! My back-"

"-Is just going to have to deal with it. I won."

"Uh, what's going on?" Chomper asked them.

"Oh, good old no-faith here was worried that you couldn't handle those dragons. So now that you did, I get the whole bed to myself!" Reina finished while clutching herself with glee. Ducky and Ruby exchanged glances, shrugging their shoulders in unison.

"I'll get a time sorcerer to reverse the damage to the castle later," Rey told Reina.

Sleeping Littlefoot, who had been carried in on Spike's back, yawned and slowly opened his eyes. "Can't you guys just- relax and keep it down, huh?"

"Will you just change back already!" Reina yelled. "Your laziness is getting on my nerves."

"Oh. Okay. Release." Littlefoot quickly looked around him. "Uh, what am I doing on Spike's back?"

"Just forget it," Cera told him.

"Anyway, good work fending off the Red Dragon Tribe," Rey told them. "But now, back to our original problem- finding Dusk. Any suggestions? I'm clueless."

"He just now figured that out?" Reina mumbled.

"Hm?"

"Nothing!"

"May I say something?"

"Sure, Littlefoot, go ahead," Rey encouraged.

"I'm sorry for not bringing this up sooner, but getting two powers at once gets a little confusing. I've been trying to get everything sorted out in my head, and, I finally have. When I transform to become like water, I can see everything that has to do with it."

"I hear what you are saying, but what are you trying to say?" Ruby asked. "I don't understand."

"I can change my viewpoint from anything made of water. Any puddles, for example, I can connect with and see everything around them or anything that has been around them recently. And since plants soak up water, I can use them too like Cera was able to."

"Remarkable," Rey said, hand on his chin. "You all can find Dusk easily now."

"That is very good, it is, it is," Ducky remarked. Spike nodded in agreement.

"So while we travel, we'll just have Littlefoot see what water source is near Dusk, describe it you, and you'll know where to go?" Chomper asked.

"Nope," Reina replied. The kids all turned to her. "Rey and I are the rulers of this kingdom. We aren't supposed to meddle in the affairs of other worlds, so we've already been breaking the rules enough It was hard enough convincing the elders that we needed time off to travel with your earlier, and now we must stay to look after our kind."

"Rulers of your kingdom?" Littlefoot repeated, confused.

Reina sighed. "Leaders of our herd. Does that way make sense you?"

"Yep, yep, yep," Ducky replied.

"Okay then, who's gonna come with us then?" Cera asked.

"Do you remember when we stopped near all those Rainbow Face homes?" Reina asked. The kids all nodded. "And do you recall when I said that they've all seen a Three Horn before? Well, that's because we've brought a child to this world a while back, one who happens to be a Three Horn."

"You stole someone's kid!" Littlefoot asked in dismay.

"He's an orphan," she replied. "You kids aren't the only ones we've had our eyes on. He also displayed keen intellect that impressed us, so we believed he could be of some help with the stone-stealing mess. He was doing a fine job of living on his own. After we brought him here, he did a lot of exploring. While he hasn't seen the entire world, he has seen a good part of it."

"Now," Re continued, "I heard the Three Horn is currently visiting this town. You may want to try the tavern. He likes visiting those. Just be careful though. Having lived here so long, he's learned to be wary of strangers. Just don't do anything suspicious, or he may attack you."

After gulping, the others turned to leave. They walked through the long hallway and into the fresh air.

"Aw, we should have asked them what a 'tavern' is," Littlefoot moaned.

"It's alright. We can just ask one of the Rainbow Faces nearby where it is."

"Good idea, Chomper," he replied.

As they reached the rows of houses down below, they were again given the cold shoulder. The adults glared at them suspiciously, and the children stopped playing.

"Does anyone know where the tavern is?" Chomper called out. No one said a word. Chomper looked at his friends and shrugged while sighing. Suddenly, movement caught his eye. A little Rainbow Face walked up to him. Chomper recognized the boy right away. He was the one he gave the ball back to earlier.

"Just keep following this road, sir, then turn left when it goes in two different directions."

"Thank you," Chomper replied and gave him a big grin.

The boy blushed and went back to his brother.

"I wonder what this Three Horn will be like," Littlefoot wondered aloud.

"Me hope he different than Cera," Petrie said.

"What!"

"Err, me mean, who want two friends exactly the same? That be boring. Two Petrie's get old real fas-"

"Petrie?" Littlefoot asked.

"Yes?"

"Just leave it alone before you make it worse."

"Oh, okay."

The road split off into two directions so the gang went left. After a bit more walking, the path stopped at a large building. The kids looked at the door curiously, not knowing what to do.

"Hey!" Ruby suddenly said. "I think we have to move this thing like when we entered that big place that Rey and Reina live in. Remember how those guards pushed it? Let's try that."

Spike went forward and nudged it with his head and the door swung open with ease. The kids walked in, single file, and looked at their surroundings. There were Rainbow Faces all over, sitting on chairs with tables in front of them. On the tables were several glasses with liquid inside. An old Rainbow Face stood behind a counter and looked at the kids.

"So, they brought more outsiders, eh? Make yourselves at home. Can I interest you in a drink?"

"Sure!" Littlefoot exclaimed. He was parched, and the others were really thirsty too.

"Mead okay?"

"Mead?" Littlefoot asked.

"Mostly water and honey, fermented along with grain mash."

The kids didn't know what honey and grain mash were, but hearing the word 'water' was good enough for them.

"I take it you'll be putting it on the old king's tab?"

"You mean Rey?" Cera questioned.

"My oh my. You guys must really be pally with the king if you call him by his name. Not even Striker does that."

As he went to pour the drinks, Chomper asked, "Striker? Who's that?"

"Another outsider the old king brought over." The kids' eyes widened.

"Does this Striker have horns like me?" Cera asked.

"Yep."

"Striker. What an interesting name," Ruby commented.

"Oh, that isn't his real name. Folks around here call 'im that because when he fights, he strikes hard, and he strikes fast."

"You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?" Littlefoot asked.

"He's sitting in the far corner over yonder. He mostly keeps to himself and doesn't say much." He pointed to a young Three Horn sitting in a large chair with his head down. As the kids turned to look, the bartender put seven cups of colored liquid in front of the them.

"Let's go talk to him," Cera suggested. "We can explain the whole story to him and ask him to guide us."

Six of them began walking over to the Three Horn.

"Littlefoot? You coming?" Ducky asked.

"Be right there. I really want to drink a little. I'm just so thirsty."

"Fine. Let's go, guys," Cera ordered. As the children approached Striker, he looked to them with his eyes but didn't lift his head.

Cera was the first to speak. "Uh, hi."

"Skip the pleasantries. What do you want with me?"

Cera was temporarily at a loss for words at his bluntness, but quickly recovered. "The world where we're from is in grave danger."

"I don't live there anymore. This better relate to me quickly. I don't take kindly to my time being wasted."

"Well, you see- I uh-"

"You have one minute to get my attention or I'm going to ask you to leave me alone."

Cera's mouth dropped open.

"Your time has started."

Cera was again at a loss for words for a bit but soon found her voice.

"An entire world is in danger. You were born there. It's your homeland." Then, to everyone's surprise, she got in his face. "We've been going through one nightmare after the other to save our home. Our families won't be safe unless we succeed. You've had a family before. You know what it's like to love. You lost those dear to you, and I'm sorry, but don't sit idly by while trouble comes to many, many others. You can't convince me that you're as heartless as you come across. Please, help us, Striker."

The Three Horn said nothing at first, but merely lapped up some more of the liquid in his cup. Finally, he asked, "Do you still have your parents?"

"I have my father and stepmother."

The boy said nothing as he recalled the terror of when his parents died. He remembered the very moment when his eyes filled with tears and terror and grief struck his heart at the same time. He finally lifted his head and looked into her eyes. He then decided then and there that he didn't want hers to fill with fluid as his had done long ago. For the first time in a great while, he smiled.

"Nobody has gotten in my face in a long time."

Cera cringed with regret at having done that.

"Well, if we're going to be doing anything together, might as well start using my real name, not some nickname created by rumors."

Cera's face brightened, and she made a big grin.

"It's Ace. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Cera, and thank you."

Suddenly, Littlefoot stumbled over to them.

"What- what's taking youz all so looong? _Hic_!"


	6. Chapter V

**Chapter V: The Lost Arm, the Fiery Past, and the Drunken Battle**

In which Menta runs into some trouble, a tragic past is remembered, and someone has a bit too much to drink.

"Ugh. Where- where am I?" a young Sharptooth wondered aloud. Agu looked around and saw a small fire burning near him.

"Ah, you awake now. Good."

Agu jumped up then quickly turned. "You- you're that guy that attacked us earlier! If you try anything again, you're gonna get it." Then he bared his teeth.

"Relax, puny creature. If me wanted you dead, me not pull you from river earlier. You'd've drowned otherwise."

"Thanks, I guess. What are you doing way over here though? Your field is quite a ways away."

"Me left to hunt for dinner."

Agu quickly got to his feet, but to his surprise, the beast only laughed.

"Me hunt for fruits. Me no eat puny creatures."

"Oh. So, did you make this fire?"

"Yeah. Puny creature freeze otherwise. Being in water bad."

"But why? Why would you help me?"

"You guys no kill me. A life for a life."

A whizzing sound soon filled the air, followed by an explosion that knocked the beast a large distance away. The two of them looked around but saw no one. Another ball of energy flew into the scene, this time knocking him into a tree which broke from impact. The creature was dazed from the blow and slumped over.

"Agu!" came a loud voice. The boy recognized it right away.

"Dusk? Over here!"

The dark grey Sharptooth emerged from behind a tree and came over to his friend.

"Did he hurt you?" Dusk asked.

"Wait, were you the one who attacked him! No, he didn't hurt me. He saved me!"

Dusk gulped and looked sheepish. They both turned upon hearing a groan, and the beast staggered over to them.

"What happened?"

"Uh, my friend here thought you were going to attack me, so he um, attacked you."

"Sorry," Dusk added, one hand on the back of his head.

"Eh, it okay."

Suddenly, Dusk's eye widened. "Hey, would you come back with us? We could really use your help."

"What puny creature want?"

"I would just like you to say a few words, that's all."

"What point?"

"Long story. I can explain it on the way."

"Dusk, he came a long way to find dinner…" Agu informed him.

"How about this then? I'll help you find some food if you'll come back with us afterwards," Dusk offered.

"Deal."

"What sort of creatures do you like?" Dusk asked as they walked.

The beast let out a heavy sigh. "Why everyone think me eat creatures? Me want fruit. My kind is called the Herbivore Ogre after all."

The three of them searched the area and eventually found some tree sweets hanging from a small tree near the river. The beast's mouth watered as he reached up to pluck them. Agu saw one lying on the ground and decided to try one. Reaching down, he picked it up and took a big bite. He didn't like it very much, but it wasn't too bad, so he swallowed.

After the beast had picked all that he wanted, he looked down and saw the partially eaten fruit being held. He quickly knocked it out of Agu's hand.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"That fruit not to be eaten by puny creatures! They lose control of power if they do. You- feeling okay?"

Suddenly, the grassy ground, trees, and rivers vanished. The three of them were standing on a small rock in the middle of a lava pool. The burning liquid was slowly making its way up the rock, leaving less and less room for the three of them. The heat was excruciatingly painful. Some of the lava bubbled up and splashed onto Agu's foot. He screamed in pain and nearly fell off the rock, but Dusk quickly steadied him.

"How did we end up here? Did someone Warp us away?" Dusk wondered. The lava was getting closer and closer, making their whole bodies twinge in agony.

"Is little yellow one's power to Warp?" the beast asked.

"No, it's-" Dusk stopped, suddenly realizing what was happening.

"Agu, you need to focus! Break your illusion."

"What? But I didn't make any illusion."

The lava had finally gotten to their feet. All three of them were in horrible pain as they watched the blazing liquid burn through their feet. The sensation was so much that all of them could barely speak.

"Just- do what- you do- to cancel- your illus- ahhh!"

Agu finally caught on and focused. After a few moments, the river and plants returned to view and their feet were completely unharmed.

"So that's what you meant about little guys losing control. Sorry about that."

"It okay. Now, you helped me look for fruit, so lead on for my part."

Dusk grinned from ear and ear as he made his way back to the others. When he spotted his friends, he shouted, "We can make the wish now! This fellow is going to help."

Ceit lowered his head.

"Uh, where's Menta?"

"Err, about that, ma lord…"

"She didn't."

"I'm afraid she did. We couldn't hold her here, and she took off after you."

"Ugh, and I was so close. Let's all start looking for her, but stay together so we don't lose anyone else." The six of them started walking back the way Dusk and Agu had come from. "What I don't understand is, why didn't I see her as I was coming back? Surely she followed the river as well."

"I hope she's alright," Coaley said in a worried tone.

All of them were worried, especially Dusk.

"Stop," Dusk commanded. "Look. Footprints are leading away from the river here."

"Can they really be Menta's though?" Ceit asked. "They start right here, but Menta had to walk up to this point. Wouldn't there be prints leading up to here too?"

"Not necessarily. Walking doesn't always leave prints, because moving slowly doesn't make as much of an impact on the ground. But when you run…"

"Ah, that's true! What do you think happened then?" Ceit inquired.

"I smell something. Something I don't recognize. I think she was attacked. Let's hurry and follow them!"

They all ran as fast as they could as they followed the footprints. Agu and Coaley could not keep up with the others, so the large beast set them on his shoulders as they ran along. Soon, they heard a rustling nearby and groaning. A four-legged beast was on top of Menta, chewing into her arm. He had grey fir all over his body. Suddenly, there was nothing more than a small branch on Menta, and the beast was high up in a tree. He was holding something in his mouth that he continued to much on- Menta's arm.

The beast jumped down and Dusk charge him in a furious rage. He focused energy out through his claws which hardened, forming long, sharp extensions. The beast started to back up but stopped when his feet started to burn up. Looking down, he was shocked to see he was standing in a puddle of lava. Dusk took this opportunity to strike the beast through his chest, and he fell to the ground, dead. Agu focused and the lava puddle the beast had seen vanished.

Menta was not moving. Dusk ran to her side, put his hand on back of her head, then lifted up gently.

"Menta? Say something. Please."

xxxxx

"Is this a friend of yours?" Ace asked, glancing at the drunken Long Neck.

"Yeah, he's one of us," Cera replied.

"Littlefoot? What's wrong?" Chomper asked him.

"You're such a cute lil Sharptooth," he mused. Then he hiccupped again.

Ace got up and walked over to the bartender. "How much did you give him?"

"Only one small glass. It shouldn't have hit him this hard."

Ace looked at the counter and saw several glasses, most of them empty.

"Hey, was your friend really thirsty or something?"

"Now that I think about it, I think he said he was very thirsty a bit ago. Why? What's going on?" Ruby wanted to know.

"It seems that your friend is clueless about mead. But it can't be helped now. He's going to be this way for a little while. Might as well take this time to tell me more of your story." Ace returned to his chair and leaned back slightly.

Before Cera could tell him anymore, however, someone burst through the tavern's door. It was a Rainbow Face that appeared to be very angry.

"I told you I'd be back!" he shouted.

The bartender merely grinned. "You couldn't beat me before. What makes you think you'll fare any better now?"

Before the enraged Rainbow Face could reply to that, Littlefoot walked over to him. Littlefoot got really close to him and looked at him very intently. He hiccupped in his face then said, "If I didn't- didn't know any better _hic_ I'd say you were- were angry. _Hic_!"

The annoyed Rainbow Face was too angry to be surprised at the sight of the new creature and struck him in the face. Littlefoot came crashing down onto a table, breaking it in two. His friends quickly got up to help him, but Ace got in their way.

"Let me handle this," he told them. He then slowly began walking over to the angry dinosaur.

Continuing his rant, the Rainbow Face shouted, "I told you that I'd pay you back when my gold arrived. You didn't have to throw me out! Now you're the one who's gonna pay!"

The bartender laughed. "You couldn't lay a finger on me then. Whatcha gonna do now?"

"This time, I brought a friend. Come on in, Zick."

A very large Rainbow Face dramatically entered the tavern and stood beside his friend. The bartender posed for battle, but Ace came and stood between them.

"No need to dirty your hands on trash," he told him.

The bartender grinned and said, "I'll clean out your tab for this."

"No need. I always pay my dues. Just consider this a favor."

"And what's a little outsider like you gonna do against us?" the angry Rainbow Face taunted.

The others had moved over to Littlefoot and helped him get to his feet. He staggered, but Chomper leaned against him for support. He tried to thank him, but all he managed to get out was, "Thank _hic_!"

The big Rainbow Face tried punching Ace in the head, but he jolted away his body, and the blow hit nothing. He then put his fists together and tried slamming Ace into the ground, but he jumped out of the way. The blow splintered the wooden floor and made a small hole.

Ace quickly hunched his body down and spun around. His tail knocked into his opponent's legs, and he came crashing to the ground. The smaller Rainbow Face's arms suddenly stretched to a great length and wrapped around Ace's body. He then flung his arms back, trying to send Ace crashing into the wall, but the Three Horn pulled his legs back then kicked against a support beam. He then recoiled back into the Rainbow Face's chest, his horn slightly puncturing it. Letting go, the Rainbow Face clutched his gash and the large one slowly got to his feet. They both ran for the door and got temporarily stuck as they tried squeezing out at the same time. Ace turned his back to them, reared up, then back-kicked them outside, where they quickly got to their feet and ran off.

Ace lowered his head down to a pouch strapped to his front leg. He undid the button with his horn and fished around with his mouth until he got want he wanted. He then dropped a beautiful, green stone on the counter.

"That will cover my drink, that idiot's tab, my friends' bill, and the damages."

"You're truly a saint, Striker. You're always welcome around my tavern."

Ace bowed his head then walked over to the others. Littlefoot gave him an intense stare.

"You- you hurt those guys! You're a bad- a very bad Three Horn!"

Ace sighed slightly and walked over to Cera. "So, mind filling me in the detai-"

Suddenly, Littlefoot charged Ace and the young Three Horn slid back slightly across the wooden floor from the impact.

"Littlefoot! What's the big idea!" Cera demanded.

"He's a meanie! _Hic_! He hurt those guys- and- and- he may hurt you! Gets away! I'll protect- protect you! Fire, blaze within my _hic_ soul!" Littlefoot's body glowed like the lava of a volcano, and he dived at Ace. The Three Horn easily dodged it then moved towards the door. Standing right in front of it, Ace called, "Come on!"

Littlefoot dived at him again, once more missing Ace completely. The Long Neck tumbled to the ground outside the building.

"Good," Ace thought to himself. "Now there's nothing around to damage."

Littlefoot glared at Ace then hiccupped. This time, not just noise but a tiny flame came out when it happened.

"Fire?" Ace asked slowly. His terrifying past flooded into his brain. The flames brought him back to a place in his mind he had tried ever so hard to forget.

By now, Littlefoot's friends had come outside to stop the fight. Cera looked at Ace, and to her surprise, he was shaking.

"Feel my mighty _hic_ fire!" Littlefoot took a deep breath and a scorching blast erupted from his mouth. Cera expected Ace to dodge, but he didn't.

"What are you-" Cera shouted as she knocked him out of the way. Unfortunately, her foot sustained a burn in the process. "Ah!"

"Cera? _Hic_! Why'd you- why'd you get in the way, huh?" Littlefoot asked as he tried to focus his vision on her. Suddenly, Littlefoot slammed to the ground. The bartender had come outside and was holding his arm towards the Long Neck.

"You're due for a little time out until you calm down," he called out.

Littlefoot struggled and tried to move, but he suddenly felt so heavy that he couldn't budge.

"What are you doing to him!" Chomper asked.

"Easy, son. I have the power of Gravity. I'm just holding him down until those drinks wear off," he explained.

"Gravity?"

"Ah, never mind. Let's just say he's not going anywhere till I let up."

"Thank you for the save," Ace told Cera.

"No problem," she said while beaming. "But, what happened back there? I never expected to see you freeze up."

"It's- nothing. Forget it."

"But-"

"I said forget it!" He quickly glanced up to see Cera's hurt look, that quickly added. "I'm sorry. It's just not something I want to talk about, okay?"

"Okay."

"So, while your friend there is out of commission, mind telling me what's going on."

"Oh, right. Okay, it's like this…"


	7. Chapter VI

**Chapter VI: One Loss Leads to Another on a Dreary Night**

In which Dusk misses his opportunity, and the kids are falsely accused.

Dusk grabbed a large leaf and held it against Menta's bleeding body, just as she had done for him before. This time, however, the hole was too big. The bleeding was not slowing down. Dusk started to panic but tried his best to focus. Finally, Menta opened her eyes. She clenched her teeth from the horrible pain and sat up.

"Don't move! Save your strength!" Dusk commanded.

"No, ugh, my lord. Just, ah, watch. Rewind!" Menta's entire body started to glow and feel very warm. After a few seconds, her bleeding stopped; her arm was back on her body.

"How-"

"The power of time is an incredible thing, my lord. I can reverse time on an object or creature, returning them to an earlier condition. Only the memories remain the same."

"So no matter what happens to us, you can just fix us up. Nice!" Agu commented.

"In theory, yes. But I can only take something back in time a short amount. If someone is injured and I don't get to him or her in time, there is nothing I can do."

"How did a little creature like that get the best of you?" Agu wanted to know.

"I'm not sure. He howled then I suddenly couldn't speak."

"Intriguing," Ceit said.

"Are you going to be okay, Menta? You're not hurting anywhere?" Coaley asked gently.

Menta smiled and rested a hand on her head. "I'm fine, dear." However, her smile faded when her eyes met Dusk's glare.

"How much more disobedience am I expected to tolerate? You nearly died and scared me half to death in the process," Dusk informed her.

This time, Menta didn't stutter and apologize. She returned Dusk's look and replied, "Any order that puts you at risk is not an order I would consider following."

Dusk's face softened slightly so Menta relaxed. Then he walked up to her and slapped her in the face.

"Do you think I prefer my own safety over your life?"

"I-"

"Me no mean to interrupt, but can me help with this talking thing so me can go?" the large beast asked them.

Dusk's face brightened, and he forgot about his lecture. He rubbed his two hands together in excitement. After all this time and all that they'd been through, he was finally going to get his wish. He turned to the group and was about to explain what to say and how to say it when their beast friend's head suddenly fell off. They all quickly turned to see another beast. His back was bent in an arch and he had green fir all over his body. His claws were pointing down and even longer than his tail, and as a result, he was actually using them to stand on.

"I am so sick of all these stupid attacks!" Agu shouted. He focused and he and all his friends were enveloped in smoke. When it lifted, the area seemed to be inhabited by six large stones, not dinosaurs.

"Good thinking, Agu," Dusk thought to himself. His concern of Agu's usefulness was successfully fading away.

The beast walked over to the "rocks" and started sniffing.

"Please let him have changed our scents too," Menta thought desperately. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The beast lifted his front leg and started to bring it down in a vicious slash at Agu, but instead of hitting him, the beast cut into a tree.

"That was too close," Ceit said to himself.

The creature roared in anger and turned to someone else.

"I've got to do something," Ali thought desperately. "Ceit, Fusion!" Ali became transparent, and she entered Ceit's body.

Ceit quickly looked around then up, finally eyeing a cloud off into the distance. "Switch!" he shouted. The cloud suddenly enveloped the area and the beast appeared high in the sky. He plummeted down at a great speed and died from the impact when he finally hit the ground. More smoke appeared and the group looked like their old selves again.

"Wow, awesome job, Ceit!" Coaley complimented. "But, how did you do that? I thought the two things you switch have to be really close to you."

Ali's body suddenly drifted out of Ceit's, and she looked solid again.

"Remember when we talked about our new powers right after we got them?" Dusk asked. "Ali can Fuse with another creature, increases his or her power. By entering Ceit, he could switch things very far apart."

"Neat!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, Menta, quick, fix up our big friend here. This would have been a big tragedy without your time restoring ability," Dusk said.

"Uh, about that, my lord…"

"Hm?"

"That spell has a very long cool down, so I can't do it twice so close together. I'm afraid that, by the time I can do it again, it'll be too late. I'm so sorry."

Dusk said nothing. He simply walked over to a large tree- then punched it with all his might. A small amount of blood oozed from his knuckles. It was plain as day to all of them that he was furious. He had come so close to getting his wish just for this to happen. Agu lowered his head because he too was upset. That beast had saved his life, but now he was gone.

"M-my lord, we still have our original plan. We may find a Rainbow Face to help us or maybe even another beast. Don't lose hope," Menta encouraged as she walked to his side. Dusk placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"Alright, guys, let's get moving."

"Now that's the Dusk I know," Menta thought to herself.

xxxxx

As soon as Cera finished the story, Littlefoot threw up. Chomper rushed over to him, but Ace reassured him.

"Don't worry. That's supposed to happen. He's going to be fine."

"Why's everything spinning? _Hic_!" Littlefoot wanted to know.

"Jared, you can let him go now," Ace told him. The bartender nodded and relaxed his arms.

Ruby came over to him as well, and the two of them helped Littlefoot get to his feet.

"Say 'Release,' buddy," Chomper told his friend.

"Huh? Wh- _hic_ why?"

"Just do it," Chomper ordered.

"'Kay. Releashe!" he managed to say, then he returned to normal.

"Next time you have a drink at a tavern, don't have more than one glass. Too much alcohol messes with your head," Ace explained.

"Yeah, you went crazy and attacked Ace," Cera told him in an annoyed tone.

"Sowwy," he replied meekly before hiccupping again.

Cera suddenly groaned and everyone looked at her.

"That's right! Your foot," Ace remembered. "Come back into the tavern. Jared'll get that taken care of."

"Thanks," she replied, walking back in with him.

"What _hiccup_ happened to Cera's foot?" Littlefoot asked.

"Uh, she just got- a little burn," Chomper replied carefully.

"Oh. Did I do it?"

The five of them nodded slowly.

"Oopsie. _Hic_!"

"It was that stuff you drank, that's all," Chomper comforted. "Just don't drink it anymore."

"Yes. If the problem comes from that drink, you have won't have the problem without the drink," Ruby concluded.

"Okie dokie," he agreed.

At that moment, Cera and Ace returned. She had something wrapped around her foot and was limping slightly.

"Now, let's just hurry up and find Dusk and his friends," Cera declared.

"I don't think you'll be looking for them today." The others turned to Ace. "The sun has nearly set."

"The sun?" Ducky asked.

"It's what we call the bright circle on this world. I say we go back to the king's castle and get some rest. Surely they'll have us," Ace suggested.

"That good thinking," Petrie remarked.

The kids began to walk back up the hill to Rey's home, Chomper bringing up the rear, though Littlefoot more staggered than walked. As they passed a small house, hands reached out from beside it and grabbed the little Sharptooth. His mouth was covered so he couldn't scream. Dark as it was, no one noticed. Suddenly, Chomper seemed to come back and returned to the others. After a few minutes, they arrived at the entrance.

"May we come in to see Rey?" Littlefoot asked one of the two guards. They looked at each other.

"At this hour?" one of them asked.

"Do you have an audience set up in advance?" the other wanted to know.

"These are good friends of the king. I'm sure he'll welcome them at any time," Ace told them.

"Be that as it may, no one disturbs the king at this hour without an appointment," the first one told them.

The children exchanged glances and Ace sighed.

"Well, I guess that's that," the male Three Horn told them. He started walking away and seemed to hunch over twice after going a short distance. Suddenly, he gave a shout.

"Guards! A fierce beast is approaching the castle!"

"What!" they exclaimed in unison. They ran over to where Ace was standing and then came a short popping sound. The two guards collapsed on the ground and then Ace returned to the others.

"What just happened?" Cera asked.

"The guards are taking a little nap."

"What do you mean?" Ducky wanted to know.

"My power is known as being a hunter. I can create traps, and when someone walks on them, it triggers a special effect, depending on what kind of trap I set. Those guards walked right onto my Slumber Traps. They'll be out for a little while, though any contact on their bodies will break the effect early. Now, let's go see the king."

The kids were very impressed at how Ace handled that. They pushed open the door and began walking down the long hallway. They reached the room where Rey had been sitting earlier, but no one was there. Soon, however, footsteps could be heard coming towards their location. A female Rainbow Face entered the room and gave a small cry when she saw the group.

"Who- who are you? What are you doing in the throne room?" she asked them. She was about to scream for the guards but Ace quickly spoke up.

"We are all good friends of the king, seeking a safe place to spend the night. Where is king Rey?"

"How do I know you aren't assassins, wanting to find the king to kill him?" she countered.

"What is an assassin?" Ducky asked her. Ace grimaced. Such a question would likely only make them more suspicious. He was right.

"Guards!" she shouted.

In a matter of seconds, Rainbow Faces filled the room.

"Arrest them! They are intruders probably here to harm the king!"

"Hold on!" Littlefoot called out. "We're friends of Rey."

The guards said nothing but continued to approach them, clearly not buying his story. The kids posed to defend themselves, but Ace said, "Don't fight them. They are only doing their job. Hurting a palace guard is a serious offense."

Ducky, who had been sitting on Spike's back, suddenly vanished from sight. In the darkness of the room, as the only light was from candles in the hall, no one noticed. The Rainbow Faces led the kids away through a doorway in the hall that sloped down a long set of steps. When they reached the bottom, they had arrived in a large, cold room with several sections set apart by thick rows of bars. The guards moved half of them into one cell and the rest in another.

"How long are we going to be kept here?" Littlefoot asked one of them.

"Trespassers are held for three days before they are tried."

"Three days! We don't have that kind of time! We're on a mission we have to see through!" Cera exclaimed. The guards only scoffed.

"Prisoners are allowed to have visitors," Ace said.

"What of it?" the guard asked.

"Tomorrow morning, we want to see the king."

"I'm not going to bother the king with criminal scum like you. You'll see him in three days during your trial. Now be quiet." And with that, the guards all left the kids alone.

"This is a fine mess," Cera complained. "Ooh, if I could just get a hold of those guards, they'd regret messing with me."

"We are worrying, but we shouldn't be worrying," Ruby told them. "We could easily get out of here with our powers. I mean, Spike is super strong now. He could probably break through these hard sticks holding us in."

"Great idea, Ruby!" Littlefoot complimented.

"Sadly, that will never work," Ace told them. "Everyone in this world has some kind of power, so such attempts are expected. These bars are magic proof. Any ability that we have from the stone won't work while we're inside these bars. A summoner can't call forth a beast to get the key, and a psychic can't move it telepathically. It's useless to try anything."

"The key?" Littlefoot asked.

"Yeah. It's a little stick-like thing that you put in the hole on the door, and it opens the bars."

"Hey!" Petrie suddenly exclaimed. "Where Ducky?"

The kids all looked around but she was nowhere to be found. A few seconds later, the door to the dungeon opened up. They all looked up, but no one was there. Then came a voice that they all recognized.

"Are you guys okay? I hope so, I do, I do."

"Ducky!" all of them but Ace said in unison.

"Where are you?" Cera asked.

"Oh, when those guards surrounded us, I became Invisible and hopped off of Spike's back. Sorry that it took me so long to walk all the way down here." As she finished speaking, her body became visible to the group.

"This is perfect!" Ace announced. "Ducky can grab the key to get us out of here."

"The key?"

Ace sighed. He hated having to repeat himself. "It's a stick-like thing that opens these doors. It's hanging on the wall over there. Get it down and put it in these holes to open the doors."

"Got it," she replied. She walked underneath where it was hanging and jumped a few times trying to reach it with no success.

"There is a chair over there. Push it over there and use it to reach the key. Then drag it over here to reach the keyholes," Ace instructed.

Ducky turned and went over to it. It took all of her strength, but she managed to push the chair over. It made a loud dragging sound as she did so. With it finally in place, she climbed up onto the back rest and managed to reach the key. She hopped off and began dragging the chair over to the cell doors. She again climbed up and was just about to turn the key in when a hand reached down and grabbed her.

"I thought I heard something. Not sure how we missed you before, but you weren't so lucky this time," a guard said to the squirming Swimmer. He had entered the room quietly and everyone was focused on Ducky, so they hadn't even noticed that a guard had come in. He opened the door and threw Ducky inside. Spike ran over and she landed on his back. The guard yawned, put the key back on its holder, and left them alone.

"Maybe we should start yelling. Rey might hear us," Petrie suggested.

"No good. We're too far down. The king would never hear us. We can only hope he'll visit the dungeon for some reason soon," Ace told them.

Chomper appeared to remain silent through all of this, but although he seemed to be with his friends, he was actually far away…


	8. Chapter VII

**Chapter VII: Forgetfulness in the Face of Death**

In which Coaley develops a loss of memory, and some Rainbow Faces meet a tragic end.

The mostly-Sharpteeth group stopped to rest at a waterfall. They sat at the water's edge, cooling their feet in the cold liquid. A sign stood nearby with words etched into it, but none of them could read. The six dinosaurs bent over and took a drink from the stagnant water on the ground. Coaley drank much more than anyone, then burped slightly.

"Ah! Excuse me," she said quickly, very embarrassed. The others just laughed. Coaley then sat down and put a hand on top of her head. At first, they thought she was just still embarrassed, but then she groaned.

"Coaley, what's wrong?" Menta asked her.

"How do you know my name?" she asked in return.

"Coaley, you never did have a good sense of humor. Give it a rest," Agu told her.

"My name is- Coaley?" she wondered aloud.

Dusk and Menta exchanged glances.

"I think you're just tired," Dusk said. "The bright circle is nearly out of sight. Let's get some sleep."

"Are you a friend of mine?" Coaley asked Dusk.

Chuckling, he replied, "I would hope so."

"Then, do you know where parents are? I should be getting home."

"Coaley may be sick," Dusk announced. Kneeling down before her, he said, "Your parents are dead. They died in a Three Horn fight."

"No! My parents can't be dead!" she shouted, starting to cry.

Dusk wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He was very concerned but couldn't figure out why Coaley had forgotten about her parents and who her friends are.

"I promised to care for you, and I will. Let's just get some sleep. I think you'll feel better after a full night of rest," Dusk assured her.

Tears came to Coaley's eyes, but she lied down to get some rest as Dusk had suggested. Most of them slept soundly as the night circle began its shift in the sky. Coaley, however, was too distraught to stay asleep and got up quietly. She walked away from the waterfall and down a dusty path, her way being lit by the stars in the sky. Then she quickly turned, hearing footsteps.

An old, female Rainbow Face was heading her way, riding atop a furry beast with four legs. Seeing Coaley, she pulled back on the reigns, easing the beast to a stop. She looked down and asked gently, "What are you doing at this hour all alone?"

"I- I'm looking for my parents."

"Aw. You poor thing. Hop on, and I'll help you look." And with that, the Rainbow Face reached down and pulled Coaley up onto the saddle. They continued on down the path, looking all around as the night began to end.

Dusk woke up before anyone else, and his first thoughts were about how Coaley was doing. He got up and glanced around him. She was nowhere to be seen. He spotted a set of footprints in the dust and he followed them. After a short hike, her prints stopped and four big ones took their place. Dusk feared the worst but tried to remain calm.

Returning to the others, he said, "Coaley is gone. We'll have to break from our quest and look for her."

Agu was conscience stricken. "You don't think I made her mad, do you?"

"Don't worry, Agu," Ali comforted. "Coaley was never one to take offense easily. She must still not be feeling well."

"Her footprints end where larger ones begin. She may have been kidnapped."

"Or eat-" but Agu stopped after getting a glare from Menta.

"There is no blood on the ground, so I don't think she was attacked. Let's just follow this trail, and we may find her," Dusk explained. "Ceit, want to fly ahead and scout out the situation?"

"On it, ma lord."

xxxxx

"Wow. Dusk's group sure gets separated a lot. First Agu gets lost, then Menta, now Coaley," a young child pointed out. "Getting split up is starting to become a trend."

His father chuckled. "That's one of the things that makes this story interesting. If Dusk's group always stuck together, doing nothing but getting closer to their goal, this story would be a lot less amusing. These little side adventures give the story some extra depth."

"I guess so."

"May I continue?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

xxxxx

Chomper had finally given up on trying to scream and break his bonds. The cloth tied around his mouth was just muffling his voice too much to make enough noise.

"Finally settling down, are we?" a young, male Rainbow Face asked him. "It's pointless to struggle. The rope I tied you to that chair with is the strongest quality around. Our business isn't with you though, so you won't be killed. The king, on the other hand, won't be so lucky. I'll bet your stand in has already finished him off."

"Not Rey!" Chomper thought desperately.

"Our plan couldn't have been more perfect. When we heard you guys were going to see the king, I grabbed you and made my partner look and sound just like you. He'll be able to march right up to the king and make the kill without any suspicions in the process. When he finishes and runs off, I'll change him back and we'll claim to have caught the killer- you. You can try explaining what happened, but they all know a killer will say anything."

Chomper began trying to free himself again, shaking the whole chair.

"I told you that it's pointless to struggle. Ah well. Wear yourself out. It makes no difference to me. I'm going for a drink at the tavern. See ya." And with that, the Rainbow Face got up, walked up the stairs of his basement, then headed out the door.

"If only I still had my strength power from before. Speed can't get me out of this. But I just have to warn Rey! What can I do?" Chomper wondered.

He managed to get one of his claws on the rope and tried moving it back forth in an attempt to slice through it. Unfortunately, he had so little room to move that he didn't make any progress. He stopped trying and hung his head dejectedly. Then he quickly raised his head back up and his eyes widened. "Maybe I _can_ use my speed to get out of here." He put his claw back on the rope and concentrated. He started moving his claw back and forth at an incredible speed, and the rope started to get cut through. A few seconds later, his hands were free. He repeated on the rope holding his legs and in a very short time, he was no longer bound. He rushed up the stairs then outside towards the castle at an incredible speed. Very soon, he reached the entrance.

"Quick, you have to let me in there! The king's life is in danger," he said in a panic.

The guards did not hesitate but quickly opened the doors and followed him inside. Chomper rushed for the throne room and opened the door there. Upon entering, he saw Rey and Reina sitting at a table, eating.

"Hey, Chomper!" Rey called, waving him over. "Hungry?"

"No time for that. Someone who was made to look like me is trying to kill you. He's with my friends, and I don't think they know it isn't really me."

"Hm. Do you know where your friends are right now?" Rey asked him.

"Last night, they were on their way here to ask for a place to sleep. You mean they never arrived?"

One of the guards that had let Chomper in answered that. "A group of eight came here last night. They were trespassing in the throne room so were arrested them."

"What does arrested mean? Did you hurt them!" he demanded, getting worked up.

"Arrested means they've been locked in the dungeon," Rey explained, getting to his feet. "Now why didn't anyone come and get me? They are good friends of mine."

"We didn't wish to disturb the king's sleep," he answered. "After barging in, it is understandable why we took them as foes."

Rey sighed. "Yes, yes, duty to the king and all. I will overlook this since you had good intentions. Now we must quickly get down there. One of them is an impostor."

"Never a dull moment with Littlefoot and company," Reina grumbled.

Rey, Reina, Chomper, and a few guards hurried down the steps to the dungeon. When the Chomper who was locked up saw the real one, he started to fidget. The noise from bursting through the door woke them all up.

"We're in luck," Ace told them.

"Ohhh, my head…" Littlefoot moaned.

"Wait, how can Chomper be over there if he is in here with us?" Ruby asked. The others looked at the Chomper in the cell, then at the one with Rey.

The one outside shouted, "He's a fake! He was made to look like me to get close to the king and kill him."

The one inside called out, "Don't listen to him! A killer would say anything to fool you. I've been with you guys the whole time."

Rey ordered, "Release them all."

One of the guards opened the two doors, and the kids came out.

"If the fake one was locked up, he may try to escape now that he's free, then I'll be ready," Rey thought to himself.

However, neither Chomper made a move. They simply glared at each other.

"I have an idea!" Ruby exclaimed. "Let's ask them a question that only the real one would know." The others nodded, liking the idea very much.

"Okay, Chomper," Cera began, "when you lost your first tooth, who was the one who explained why it happened and made you feel better?"

"Ruby!" one of them said quickly.

The guards quickly grabbed the one who didn't answer, but he screamed, "Wait! I don't know how he knew that, but I'm the real one!" When no one seemed moved, he added, "When Rhett came to the Great Valley, I pretended to be mean to scare him."

His friends were shocked and didn't know what to say. Eventually, Reina's eyes widened.

"Lock them both up," she instructed. The guards led them back to a cell and latched the door. "Now ask them a question. Only the real one will know the answer this time."

The kids didn't understand, but Littlefoot stepped forward and asked, "How did we get off your island when we first came to visit you?"

"You rode on Dulcy's back," one of them answered.

"That's the real one then. Let him out," Reina ordered.

As a guard went over to unlock the cell, Ruby asked, "What was different about asking in that place or outside of it?"

"There is only one way an impostor would know things that only the real one would know. He'd have to be a psychic, and being in that prison blocks the usage of powers."

As the door opened, the real one slowly came out, but the fake leaped through the opening and shoved his hand forward. A psychic blast knocked all of them hard into a wall. He ran up the stairs and made his way to the exit.

"I got him! He can't run as fast as me," Chomper announced. He followed at a very fast pace and quickly caught up to him. The psychic did another mental shove but Chomper ran out of the way. The force knocked over a table, breaking the vase on top. Chomper kicked his speed up a notch and managed to get in front of the other. He held out his foot and the impostor tripped and came tumbling down the steps outside, twisting his ankle. After a minute or so, the others caught up with them. The guards carried the fake Chomper back to the dungeon and Rey patted the real one on the back.

"Excellent job, Chomper," he told him. The little Sharptooth beamed.

"What I want to know is, why was that guy after you?" Cera wanted to know.

"I can't be certain until I can see his true form, but a couple of thieves were arrested for stealing food," Rey explained. "They spent a short time in the dungeon. When they got out, they vowed to get revenge. Being such petty crooks, I hadn't thought much about their threat- till now."

"A couple of them? You mean there's someone else after your life too?" Cera asked.

"Yes. There was a pair of them- a psychic and an illusionist. Being as this one is a psychic and that he was altered by an illusionist, my best guess is that they're the same two from before."

"Isn't it kind of extreme to want to kill you for just being locked up for a little while?" Littlefoot wanted to know.

"Yes, it is," Rey answered. "I can't help but wonder if there's more to this than meets the eye."

"I know where they live. I can take you back there for the other guy," Chomper offered.

"Thanks, but no need. I know where they live and already sent some guards over there." Just as Rey was finishing speaking, two guards came forward, holding an unconscious Rainbow Face.

"He put up a struggle, so we had to knock him out," one of them explained.

As they continued to carry him to the dungeon where his friend was, he opened his eyes. He glared at Rey, then the king started to scream in pain. To him, it looked and felt like he was burning in fire.

"He's using his magic on the king!" one of the guards yelled. He quickly grabbed the illusionist by the neck and snapped. The Rainbow Face went limp and Rey stopped screaming.

"Gosh, those two must hate you guys so badly. But why?" Littlefoot wondered aloud.

"I'm going to find out right now!" Reina shouted. She marched back to the dungeon as the others followed. Reaching his cell, she asked in a cold voice, "Why did you and your friend try to kill Rey? Did you think stealing would come with no consequences? We brought you to justice, which is what you two deserved."

"Your meddling cost me more than you realize," he replied, tears coming to his face.

"What?" Rey asked.

"I couldn't find work so my family was starving. I stole only to keep them alive. While my brother and I were stuck in the dungeon, they starved to death. We were released- to be greeted by dead bodies!"

The entire room grew silent. Finally, Rey Spoke up.

"Release him, and see to it that he never misses a meal."

The psychic spit on the ground. "Is that your way of apologizing? Is that how you're trying to make things all better? I don't care anymore how hungry I get. You took everything from me, everything but my brother. He's the only reason I have to live."

The guard who killed him cleared his throat nervously.

"So, where is he?"

"He attacked the king. I was only doing my duty to stop him," the guard replied, trying to muster up a stern tone.

"You- killed him?"

"I was left with no choice."

The Rainbow Face suddenly bolted from the room. He ran down the hall and up the flight of stairs to one of the towers. The others had no idea what he was doing so followed him. When he reached the top, he went over to a window, then jumped out. He fell at a fast rate and hit the ground with a sickening thud. The kids, Rey and Reina, and the guards all lowered their heads in reverence.

In less than half an hour, guards could be seen traversing the town below the castle. They all carried boards with writing on them and a stand below. They set them up all throughout the area then returned to the castle when they had finished. The signs read, "To all who go hungry, come to the castle and ask for food. You won't be denied."


	9. Chapter VIII

**Chapter VIII: New Transportation on the Horizon of Revenge**

In which Littlefoot's group finds a way to travel faster, and Dusk's posse must deal with an old affair.

"Ma lord! I found something up ahead. It's one of those big things that Rainbow Faces live in, and the tracks end there."

"Alright, good work, Ceit," Dusk replied. "Did you see anyone around?"

"No, but there is light coming from the opening in the side and smoke rising from the top."

"Much farther?" Dusk inquired.

"No, you're all nearly there."

The group passed a berry bush as they continued on, and Ali grabbed a few in her mouth to munch on. Dusk, being curious, grabbed one himself and plopped it into his mouth. The bittersweet taste made him want to gag, but to avoid an embarrassing scene, he quietly chewed it up and swallowed. A short while later, they arrived at the house. A small beast with purple fir was lying right outside the door, sound asleep.

"Ceit, think you can move that thing without waking him up?" Dusk asked.

"I should be able to switch gently if I focus hard enough." Ceit then looked around and found a small rock lying nearby. He closed his eyes and with much emphasis said, "Switch!" The creature vanished, a rock taking his place, and he appeared where the stone was, all the while still sleeping. Dusk looked up at Ceit and grinned.

They all approached the house slowly and looked in through the opening in the side. An elderly Rainbow Face was cutting up some vegetables and Coaley was sitting in a large pot hung over a fire.

"Coaley!" Menta cried. The little Sharptooth turned and saw Menta, saying nothing, and the Rainbow Face came outside.

"Agu, quick, make the stone look like a walking stick," Dusk whispered, and he did so.

"What's the meaning of this? This is private property. And why didn't Fluffy stop you?" she wanted to know. She looked around and saw him lying a short distance away. "Fluffy! We've got intruders!"

The beast quickly got to his feet and ran at Dusk's group.

"Hold on!" Dusk shouted. "We're friends of Coaley's."

The Rainbow face lifted her hand and the beast stopped. Turning to Coaley, she asked, "Know this lot?"

"I saw them before, but I don't know who they are."

"Not good. She still doesn't remember us for some reason," Dusk thought to himself.

The Rainbow Face lowered her arm and the beast attacked them. He clawed at Dusk, making a small cut on his shoulder. Agu focused and Dusk suddenly looked just like the old Rainbow Face. The beast quickly backed off, sniffing the air, then attacked Dusk again.

Laughing, she told them, "You can fool his eyes, but you can't deceive his nose."

Menta shouted, "Ali, join with me!"

"Menta, Fuse!" Ali's body could be seen through and she drifted into Menta's.

"Stop!" Menta called, and the beast froze in place. "I can hold him for a while now, thanks to Ali. Get that Rainbow Face!"

Dusk ran over to her, but she just laughed. "My pet's claws are poisonous. You'll feel immense pain any moment and be unable to move. You won't harm me or my friend."

Dusk suddenly clutched himself and got on his knees, just as she had predicted. He hunched over, but started making an energy ball which she didn't notice. Then he quickly got to his feet and threw it on the ground near her. There was an explosion and she went sailing through the air, landing on her head which knocked her out.

"Rewind!" Menta called out, and the beast suddenly collapsed and fell asleep, just like he was before getting woken up. Ali emerged from Menta, and they ran over to Dusk.

"Are you alright?" Menta asked him.

"Perfectly. For some reason, the poison didn't hurt me. Now let's get Coaley." The five of them walked into her home and approached the young Sharptooth.

"You guys must really like me if you followed me all the way here," she told them.

"Coaley," Dusk began, "you really don't know who I am?"

"I am sorry, but no."

Dusk paused and thought for a moment, then looked back up at her. "Does the name Dusky bring anything back to you?"

"Dusky…" Coaley's head started to hurt, and scenes flashed in her head as she closed her eyes. "Dusky! Dusky! Dusky!" she heard in her head as scenes started playing in her mind. She finally opened her eyes and said, "Dusky, it's you!"

"You finally remembered," Dusk said, relieved. He then lifted her out of the pot and set her down. There was a groan behind them, and the Rainbow Face got to her feet.

Coaley quickly said, "I just remembered that these really are my friends!"

"Did you drink from a waterfall recently?" the Rainbow Face asked her.

"How did you know?" she questioned back.

"You must have been to the Forgetful Falls. There is a warning sign, but not many beasts can read. If you drink too much of its water, you lose most of your memory, at least for a while." The she quickly clutched her back, and Dusk ran to her side.

"Sorry about that. I think I overdid my attack."

"You were just defending yourself. No worries. While we're here, would you all like some soup?"

"Soup?" Agu asked.

"Oh, it's a liquid meal with things added for flavor. Coaley here's been sitting in the pot for a while, so it should be a rather tasty broth now. I hadn't put the vegetables in yet, but oh well."

She then got out some bowls and spooned some Coaley soup into them.

"So this will taste like meat?" Ali asked nervously.

"Yes."

"Now that I think about it, I had plenty of these pink berries from a bush earlier, so I'm not really hungry." Her friends knew she just didn't like meat but said nothing.

"Suit yourself. Wait," she said, turning to Dusk. "Did you eat any of those berries as well?"

"I had one, yes."

"No wonder Fluffy's poison didn't effect you. Those berries are a natural antidote to most kinds of poison."

Now Dusk was _really_ glad he hadn't spit it out earlier. Minus Ali, the others all finished the broth then got up.

"Thank you for the food and good day," Dusk told her, then he suddenly had a thought. As they all left the building, Dusk gathered his friends together. He whispered to Agu, "Make this conversation sound like we're talking about how nice that Rainbow Face was to Ali." Then he continued to everyone, "We can use her to make the wish. Okay, Agu, release Ali then make yourself look like her mother. Then alter that Rainbow Face's memories so she'll be inclined to help us. Maybe make her think that we're her lifelong friends or something. Then, looking like her mother, convince Ali to help us, and we're set."

"What does her mom look like?" Agu asked.

"Ah, that's right. You know not what she looks like," Dusk stated.

"Yeah..."

"Ugh… Okay, let's try this. Make yourself look like an adult, female Long Neck in general, then have Ali guide you until you look just like her mother."

"Gonna be kinda hard."

"Why?"

"Her memories are altered to think we raised her from the moment she hatched."

"Fine, make her think her mother was killed _then_ we took her in. Then let her hear what we're really talking about. Next, you need to get yourself to look just like her mother, then release her memories, and finally, alter that Rainbow Face's memories."

"Complicated much?" Agu asked with a groan. He wished Ceit was still the illusionist. This was going to take a lot of work. Several minutes later, everything was done. Agu was panting hard, but relieved he finished successfully.

"Okay, everyone. When I lift my arm, we all say together, 'I wish that Sharpteeth can live off of vegetation,' alright?" They all nodded. Dusk lifted his arm and everyone did just that. Dusk looked down at the stone, but nothing happened to it.

"Did it work?" Agu asked.

"I'm- I'm not sure. I was expecting the stone to glow or shake or something," Dusk replied.

"The stone did nothing," Menta announced. "A long time ago, when I read Rey's mind for information of the stone, it glows and gets very hot when a wish is granted."

"What could the problem be? We have seven," Dusk wanted to know. He was very agitated.

"Wait," Mente said suddenly. Turning to the Rainbow Face, she asked, "Have you been part of a wish before?"

"Yes. I helped make a wish a long time ago."

Dusk threw the stone down in a rage, and it hit his foot very hard. However, he was too furious to react to the pain.

"Agu, let the Rainbow Face go, get a hold of Ali again, then let's go."

"Okay." Agu did so, Dusk picked up the stone, then they all departed in silence.

xxxxx

"Thank you for the meal, your highness," Ace told Rey. The others thanked him as well then made for the exit.

"How are we supposed to catch up with Dusk now?" Cera wanted to know. "He has such a huge head start on us."

"Are you sure you won't come?" Chomper asked Rey and Reina. "Your Transport ability would let us catch up in no time."

"Sorry, but we've been away too much lately as it is," Rey responded.

"Just walk fast and don't dawdle," Reina suggested.

"Wait, me have idea," Petrie announced, and the others turned to him. "Me can summon giant creature to carry us. We catch up quickly that way."

"That idea is a very good idea, Petrie," Ruby pointed out.

"Come forth, Bulky Giant!" he shouted. There was a flash of light, and a huge beast came forward. He was almost as tall as Rey's castle.

"Wow!" Cera exclaimed. "We can beat anything with this guy."

"Me not so sure about that. Giants are very sensitive to pain. They don't do so well in battles."

"That is okay, it is, it is. We just need him to catch up to Dusk quickly," Ducky said.

The Bulky Giant reached down and gently lifted the kids up onto his shoulder.

"Alright, time to figure out where they are," Littlefoot announced. "Water, flow within my mind!" His body turned a deep blue hue, and he closed his eyes. The others waited to hear what he was going to say, and Littlefoot opened his mouth as if to speak- then began to snore.

"Wake up, lazy!" Cera exclaimed, poking him with her horn.

"Huh? Wha-? Oh. Let's see now. Dusk was- recently at- a large waterfall."

"Is there a sign posted nearby?" Ace asked.

"Sign?"

"A piece of wood with marks on it."

"Oh. Yeah, there's one of those."

"Then they were at the Forgetful Falls. Okay, giant, head that way," Ace instructed, craning his neck in the direction they needed to go. "And make sure you don't step on anyone."

The giant began making way, all the while glancing at the ground.

"We'll catch up to Dusk in no time at this pace," Chomper told them. The others all nodded, save Littlefoot, who was sound asleep.

xxxxx

"That little creature made fools of us!" a Red Dragon exclaimed in anger.

"That he did. What are we going to do about it?" another asked.

"If we send enough of us, we should be able overpower them," the first one suggested.

"And then what?" the other wanted to know.

In response, the first dragon licked his chops, then the second smiled. Right then, a third dragon swooped over and landed.

"I just finished speaking with king Rey. I explained the misunderstanding and they're not going to retaliate."

"Good," the two dragons replied unison.

"Now," the first one continued, "I say we send out about ten or so of us to scout out the area. When one of us sees them, he or she will report back at once to launch the attack."

The other two dragons liked the idea, and they all spread the word. Soon, eleven members of the Red Dragon Tribe took flight to get their revenge on the one who deceived them- Dusk.

xxxxx

"I'm glad that things have been peaceful for so long," Dusk commented. "No beasts have attacked us in a while."

"The calm before the storm maybe?" Ceit wondered.

"Bah. Try and think positive for a change," Dusk replied. Suddenly, there was a rustling in the nearby bushes. The group quickly turned but nothing came out. Dusk raised his hand to stop them, and he personally went to investigate. He pulled back the leaves of the bush and looked around but saw nothing. The he happened to glance down. A tiny, furry, brown creature shrieked in terror at the sight of the Sharptooth. However, the beast did not run. Dusk noticed that the little thing's feet seemed to be wedged in a black clamp of sorts on the ground.

"I have kids ya know! Nearly a dozen of 'em! A mate too! They all depend on me, ya know? If you eat me, you'll be dooming a good family, ya know? So please! I appeal to your mercy. Let me outta this thing and please, PLEASE don't eat me!"

"If I let you go- will you SHUT UP! Gosh, you're annoying," Dusk retorted. He wasn't normally so short-tempered, but his recent failure at a wish was still weighing on him.

"Annoying? How- how dare you! My mannerisms are top notch, ya know? Well, clearly you don't know, but they are!"

"The continuous opening of your mouth is not helping your cause," Dusk replied gruffly. The little beast immediately shut up. Dusk reached down and tried prying open the hinges of the trap; they wouldn't budge.

"If I may offer a suggestion-" but the small creature shut up from a deathly glare from Dusk.

"Menta, would you give me a hand here? I can't pry this open alone."

"But of course, my lord." Dusk put both hands on one side and Menta did so on the other, then they both leaned back and pulled- to no avail.

"I really think you should hear what I have to-"

"Fine! FINE! What is so important that you have to say? I'm trying to get you out of this!" Dusk shouted.

Not far away, a pair of ears picked up on Dusk's yelling…

"I just wanted to say that-"

"Spit it out!"

"To free a creature from something like this, all you have to do is touch him. All magic traps turn off upon contact to the trapped beast, ya know? Well, you didn't know earlier, butcha know now! Heh heh. Eh…"

Dusk turned away, trying to hide the redness of his face. He tapped the little guy on the shoulder, then the trap faded away.

"Thanks a bunch, sir! I, Basso the Drain Mouse, promise to repay my debt. Good deeds should never go unrepaid, ya know?"

"You really want to do me a favor?" Dusk asked.

"Yep!"

"Okay, come closer."

Dusk leaned down like he wanted to whisper and Basso walked over till he was right in front of his face. Then Dusk said, "If you want to do me a favor, then, GET LOST!" The force of Dusk's shout sent Basso rolling back a fair distance.

He got up, brushed himself off, then uttered, "That was terribly rude, ya know!"

Dusk turned around to continue his journey, but he was suddenly struck by a ball of fire, knocking him into a tree. Eleven members of the Red Dragon Tribe hovered over the group. Basso shrieked and quickly scampered away.

Dusk got up and scoffed. "So much for wanting to help me."

The beasts landed on the ground, surrounding the group.

"You're hopelessly outnumbered. Give up, and the retribution will be swift," one of them announced.

"I take it you've been to Rey's castle… What, pray tell, do you plan to do?" Dusk asked defiantly.

"We don't plan to do anything. The only things that'll be doing something are our digestive systems." The dragon started to laugh, but stopped when none of his comrades did. One of them sighed, muttering about him having no sense of humor.

"What do we do, my lord?" Menta whispered. "I don't think we can take this many."

"We'll have to try. I'm not going to be on anyone's dinner plan," Dusk whispered back.

"So do you give up?" one of the dragons finally asked.

Dusk tensed and took a fighting position. "What do you think?" he asked them.

The dragons snarled, then all of them took in a deep breath.

"Look out!" Dusk shouted, but his warning was unnecessary. Just as the beasts were about to unleash a scorching blast of fire from their throats, they quickly fell to their knees. Dusk's group stared curiously until all of the dragons fell completely over onto their bellies. They were conscious, but their breathing was shallow, and they were barely moving.

"What in the world?" Dusk wondered.

"Good work, kids!" a familiar voice called out.

Basso, along with ten other little creatures of the same kind, jumped off the dragons. "We're even know, ya know? I, Basso the Drain Mouse, never leave a debt unrepaid- even if the creditor is a big ole meanie! Now then, good day to you, sir!" Then Basso and all of his kids started to scamper away.

"Wait!" Dusk called out. Basso stopped and turned.

"What, you wanna yell at me for something else now? No thanks!"

"No, I want to thank you."

"Oh. I see. You are welcome then." Basso started to leave again, but Dusk continued.

"What exactly did you do?"

"I'm a Drain Mouse. I just did my thing."

"Sorry, I'm not familiar with your kind. What is a Drain Mouse?"

"We're little beasts that can latch onto something else and drain all their energy till they can't even move. It only takes a few hours for the victims to recover, so you'd best get a move on, ya know? Good day!" And with that, Basso and his kids were gone.

Dusk was silent for a bit, then finally said, "Guys, next time I'm rude to someone who did nothing wrong- STOP ME!"

Menta giggled. "Of course, my lord." Then she froze with a sudden thought. Dusk could have asked Basso to help with a wish, but now it was too late. She dared not tell him of his error for fear of his reaction.


	10. Chapter IX

**Chapter IX: Playing with Danger Outside the Forever Forest**

In which Cera causes some trouble, and Dusk's group comes across an unusual location.

The sound of a waterfall woke Littlefoot up. He yawned and stretched, then forgetting he was atop a giant, rolled over. He fell off the beast's shoulder and started plummeting to the ground. He landed in the water with a big splash.

"Littlefoot!" Chomper cried.

The giant reached down to pick the Long Neck out, but Littlefoot surfaced on his own. As he slowly swam to the shore, he yawned again.

"Just change back already!" Cera exclaimed. "You're so useless in your lazy form."

"I don't think he is useless. His usefulness is what led us here in the first place," Ruby pointed out.

"Yeah, but Dusk no here now. Littlefoot will have to use his power again," Petrie added.

"That is if we can get him to stay awake long enough," Cera grumbled.

"I am thirsty, I am, I am," Ducky announced. The giant raised his arm and the kids moved onto his hand. He then lowered them to the ground. The kids were about to drink from the water when Ace got in front of them.

"Wait. Remember, this is the Forgetful Falls. Drink too much of the water and your memories will be effected. Just take a small sip, then we need to move on," Ace instructed.

The kids lowered their heads into the water, and each took just a tiny drink. Then, Cera took a big splash to the face. It came from Ducky's direction.

"This is no time to be playing in the water, Ducky!" Cera shouted.

The Swimmer did not know what Cera was talking about, but to calm the situation, she replied, "I am sorry."

"Good." Cera turned around then was hit by another splash. She immediately looked up and was about to get in Ducky's face when she noticed that Ducky was too far away now to have splashed her again. She glanced around at her other friends, all of which were out of the water. She dismissed the situation then began to walk back to the giant when she was splashed a third time.

"OKAY, WHO IS DOING THAT!" she bellowed. Then Cera heard a giggling from the water. She quickly turned her head and this time spotted the culprit. A thin, blue creature with two arms and legs hovered above the water. She grinned at Cera and splashed her again.

"Ah, a Water Nymph," Ace said.

"Are they dangerous?" Ducky asked.

"They're mischievous, but don't fight unless threatened. Let's just leave her and go," Ace suggested.

"No," Cera replied. "No one messes with me and gets away with it!"

"Cera, she was just playing with you. I don't think you should take it personally," Ruby suggested.

"If she wants to play, she should know that I play rough," Cera growled. She glared at the nymph and said, "Shrink!"

The Water Nymph suddenly shrunk to about the size of Cera's foot. The Three Horn then lowered her head to the nymph's body and shouted, "Raaaw!" in her face.

The little creature was frightened and started to cry.

"Serves you right," Cera said, throwing her nose up in the air and walking over to her friends. She walked backward though to retain eye contact with the nymph so her power would remain in effect.

"That may have been an unwise move," Ace warned.

"So I made her cry. Big deal."

"It's not _this_ nymph that bothers me. This one is a child, meaning there's got to be at least one parent somewhere nearb-" but Ace's sentence was interrupted by a loud screeching.

A large Water Nymph suddenly entered the scene. She looked down at her daughter who kept crying and pointed at Cera. The Three Horn quickly broke eye contact and the nymph returned to her normal size. Unfortunately, that didn't change the mother's feelings. A glowing circle appeared under Cera's feet as the mom screeched again and pointed at her.

"Get off of that!" Ace shouted.

"Get off of what?" Cera asked back, having not noticed the change beneath her feet.

Ace knew there was almost no time left, so he quickly knocked her off of it and the glowing circle flashed just as he landed on it. The nymph mother floated over to Cera and her arm froze into an icicle.

"Save her!" Petrie yelled to his summoned giant.

The huge beast stomped over to the Water Nymph who stabbed him in the foot. The giant started jumping up and down on one foot in terrible pain. The ground started to quake from the force until the giant vanished.

"What happened to him?" Ducky asked quickly.

"That giant's weakness. They no can handle pain," Petrie answered.

Chomper ran over to the nymph mother and tried slashing her, but his arm just went through her watery body. "Littlefoot, help us!" he shouted.

Littlefoot opened his eyes and looked around, trying to analyze the situation.

"Use your fire power!" Ace shouted.

"Release," Littlefoot said. "Fire, blaze within my soul!" His body began to glow like flowing lava and he ran over to the Water Nymphs. He took a deep breath and shot a blast of scorching breath onto the two of them. They both shrieked and began turning into steam. After a few more moments, the threat was gone.

"This is terrible!" Ducky sniffed. "We just killed a momma who was just being protective and her daughter."

"Relax," Ace assured her. "They aren't dead. They're steam right now, and when they cool off, they'll return to their original forms. Ah!" Ace suddenly yelped.

"Ace, what's wrong?" Cera asked, coming over to him.

"That glowing circle that was under your feet… That was an Ice Hex. I couldn't get off of it in time. Ah. My whole body is turning into ice."

The kids looked at him, and it was true. All four of his feet were solid ice.

"This is all my fault!" Cera shrieked. "If I had only listened to Ruby and you. Ace, I'm so sorry, so very sorry."

"Relax. The hex can be removed. There is a Rainbow Face that lives in a small cottage just up this path near the waterfall. Ah. Her power is all about curses. She can make them- and remove ones created by others. Ah. Petrie, can you summon that giant again?"

"Me sorry. Each summon have very long cool down."

"I know!" Ducky exclaimed. "Spike is super strong. We can put him on Spike's back. Is that okay, little brother?"

Spike nodded, and the others hoisted Ace onto his back. By now, his legs had become ice as well, and he was clearly in considerable pain. The others began walking briskly to this Rainbow Face's home.

xxxxx

"Well, what's the situation?"

"Sorry, ma lord, but it's too wide. It'd be fastest to just walk through it."

Dusk sighed. "Very well. We'll go through this forest."

Another sign stood just outside the woods, but like last time, it did no good to the illiterate dinosaurs. As they all stepped in, Agu shivered, but no one noticed. There were no paths to walk on, so they were forced to trek over fallen branches, roots, and overgrown foliage. A flying beast cawed overhead, startling the travelers.

"This forest is really creepy," Coaley said, leaning against Dusk.

"I have to agree," Dusk replied, resting a hand on her shoulder.

They moved on, and nothing unusual happened- for a while. Finally, Menta heard a low voice.

"Dusk won't survive for much longer in this world. He's doomed."

Menta quickly turned but saw no one. "Who said that?" Menta asked aloud.

Her comrades turned to her.

"Said what?" Dusk asked her.

"Really? None of you guys heard that?"

Her friends all shook their heads.

"I think you're just tired, Menta," Dusk said assuredly.

Menta didn't want to believe she was imagining things, but no one else heard it, so maybe she was…

"You're endangering your friends," Dusk heard someone say. "They'll surely perish from following you."

"What!" Dusk shouted.

"What is it, ma lord?" Ceit asked.

"Did you guys hear anything?"

"Still think I'm just tired?" Menta asked.

Dusk grew silent.

"You'll never pay off your debt to Dusk. He'll never let you go." This time, Ceit was the only one to hear the voice. He said nothing, realizing from Dusk and Menta that something strange was going on.

"Dusk won't keep you forever. When he gets tired of you, he'll abandon you."

"No!" Coaley screamed, putting her hands over her ears.

Menta quickly came over and held Coaley tight.

"So three of us have heard a voice so far?" Dusk wanted to know.

"I have as well, me lord. I just didn't say anything."

"What about you two?" Dusk questioned Agu and Ali.

Agu remained silent and simply shook his head, and Ali said "I haven't heard a thing."

"Let's just keep going. Voices can't hurt anything," Dusk told them. Suddenly, Dusk, Menta, Ceit, and Coaley all heard a voice at once. This time, the sound was much louder.

"Did you hear it that time?" Dusk asked. Everyone but Agu and Ali nodded. "I wonder if we're hearing different things. The voice I heard seemed to be talking specifically about me. What did you hear, Menta?"

"The voice said that you won't last long in this world, that you'd die."

"And you, Ceit?"

"Err, I heard that, well, that I'd lose a wing and be unable to fly again." Ceit was too afraid to bring up when he had heard.

"Coaley?"

"Please don't make me tell," Coaley replied. "It was too terrible."

"It's okay, you don't have to tell." Turning to the whole group, he added, "This is certainly odd. We all seem to be hearing something different." Before the group could further think about it, they all heard a voice again. This time, it was so loud that it brought them to their knees, save Ali and Agu.

"Let's get out of here!" Dusk exclaimed, and they all began running back the way they came. Soon, they could see daylight and began settling down. However, when they reached the edge of the woods, they suddenly ran into something solid, but nothing could be seen. Some invisible force was keeping them in the forest. Dusk starting banging on the magic field but nothing came of it. He charged up a big ball of energy and hurled it at the wall, but it only bounced off, hitting Dusk and exploding on impact. Dusk's body was badly burned.

Menta quickly came to him and said, "Rewind," and his wound quickly vanished.

"Are we trapped?" Ali asked.

"Thank you, Menta. Yes, it certainly looks that way. I don't know what to do."

"Maybe this invisible wall isn't on top. If I can fly out, I can use my power to port you all outside," Ceit suggested.

Agu frowned. Suddenly, Ceit shrieked. Several monstrous, flying beasts were descending towards him. "Run!" he shouted to the others.

Dusk and the others tensed up but looked confused when they saw no one.

"Can't you see them! Enormous creatures are coming towards us! Move it!" The group, however, did not move. They could see nothing. However, it looked to Ceit as if his companions were running deeper into the forest so he quickly took off after them.

"Ceit, where are you going?" Dusk asked, but to Ceit, it sounded like, "Hurry and keep up, Ceit!" The Sharptooth Flyer soon vanished into the woods.

"What was that all about?" Menta wondered aloud.

"Beats me. It's like he was seeing something that wasn't there…" Dusk trailed off as he turned to Agu. "You weren't- making illusions, were you?"

"Me? Why would I do that?" Agu shot back defensively. "It's probably just this forest playing tricks on us like with those voices."

"But you didn't hear any voices yourself," Menta pointed out.

"That doesn't mean anything! Ali didn't either."

"That's true," Dusk concluded. "In any case, we need to find Ceit so we can get out of here. I bet that this wall doesn't cover the top too. Come on." The five dinosaurs walked back, deeper into the woods in search of Ceit.


	11. Chapter X

**Chapter X: The Cursing Rainbow Face and the Tormenting Tree**

In which Littlefoot and friends meet a powerful friend, and Dusk's group encounters an angry plant.

"Are we nearly there?" Cera asked.

"Yes, almost. Ah," Ace replied. Now not just his legs and feet but his tail as well was frozen now.

"Look, I think I see it!" Littlefoot exclaimed. Yes, a small cottage had come into view with smoke rising from the chimney.

The group of dinosaurs relaxed, but their relief had come early. A small creature jumped out at them. He stood poised before the kids and growled. The kids were ready to defend themselves when Ace said, "Relax. I know him. Set me down in front of him."

Spike leaned over to the side and Ace rolled off, landing on his feet.

"Fluffy, it's me," Ace told him.

The little beast approached Ace slowly, sniffing the air. With a grin, he finally recognized his old friend. Suddenly, however, the curse on Ace reached its conclusion, and the rest of him that wasn't already turned to ice.

"Ace!" Cera shouted and rushed over to him. However, the beast got between them and growled.

"He must think we mean him harm," Littlefoot theorized. "Hey, if you can understand me, we're his friends too." Though the beast could, he wasn't convinced. He leaped onto Cera, knocking her onto her back. He snarled in her face, and she could barely hold his jaw back.

Ruby quickly touched a small rock lying on the ground, turning her body to stone. She then knocked the beast off of Cera with a hard punch. The beast got back to his feet, shook his head a few times, then went after Ruby. He clawed and bit, but he couldn't penetrate Ruby's rock-hard skin. The beast howled in rage and ran back. He then bared his fangs and charged at her. His fir glowed and he moved at an incredible speed. The force knocked Ruby back a great distance. She was dazed, and her loss of focus changed her back to normal.

Littlefoot was about to transform when a voice rang out, "What's with all the racket? Down, Fluffy." The beast stopped his attack and came over to her side, sitting down by her feet.

"We came here to visit an old friend of Ace's. He's been cursed, and he said that someone here can help him," Littlefoot explained.

"Yeah, then that thing attacked us!" Cera shouted. The beast growled slightly but did not get up.

"Sorry about that. Fluffy is very loyal. Now, anyway… So where is old Ace? I haven't seen him in a long time."

"That ice standing over there- that's him," Littlefoot said, motioning with his head.

The old Rainbow Face turned and was taken back at the sight.

"I can't imagine Ace doing anything to anger a Water Nymph. He's too smart for that. What happened?"

Cera stepped forward slowly. "It was my fault. I angered one, and he knocked me away to protect me."

"Ah, so _you're _the fool."

"What!"

"Oh well. I'll take care of this right away." With that, the elderly Rainbow Face walked over to Ace and touched the ground near his feet. A glowing circle appeared under him, similar to the Water Nymph one, only this one was white. The light shone straight up, engulfing Ace's body. When the brightness died down, Ace was his old self again. He started to fall over, but Cera quickly went over to steady him.

"Thanks, sorry. I'm still a bit stiff."

"Howdy, Ace. How did you end up with this lot?" she asked him.

"Good day to you, Agatha. We're actually on a quest. The Stone of Cold Fire was stolen."

"So you're the ones old kingie asked to retrieve it, eh? Heh, old Ace here could get it back himself. Why travel with those who'll only slow you down?"

"Come again?" Cera asked angrily.

"They're actually good folks, all of them. I'm glad to be traveling with them. Anyhow, have you seen anyone suspicious lately?"

"Mm, I saw an odd bunch here not too long ago. My memory of the encounter is hazy near the end, so they must have used some magic on me for something."

"Did most of them look like me?" Chomper asked.

"Actually, yes. Wait, are they the ones who stole it?"

"You mean you didn't see a stone with them?" Ruby wanted to know.

"Well, the black male was carrying a stick, but otherwise… Wait! I bet they had an illusionist with them. That would also explain my recollection problem. They must have changed my memories for a bit."

"Oh no!" Littlefoot exclaimed. "Maybe they got you to help make a wish."

"If that is what they did, you needn't worry. I already made a wish on the stone long ago."

The kids exhaled a sigh of relief. The beast, having grown bored, laid down.

"How did you get a fierce beast like that to obey you?" Ducky asked curiously.

"Hm? Oh, that's not a beast. He's my husband."

Spike, who had been happily munching on grass, suddenly began choking.

"You're husband! You got together with- that?" Cera asked in shock.

Agatha and Ace laughed.

"I can't just remove curses; I can make them too. Let's just say my dear husband wasn't very- loyal- to me one day. After finding out who it was, I cursed him to live as a beast. Now finally, he is as loyal as can be to me. Though he thinks like a beast now too, I let him remember what he is really is. He wouldn't dare leave the only one that can change him back."

At that, the small creature whimpered, so Agatha patted him on the head.

"Well, if you want to catch up with those guys, you'd better not keep dawdling here anymore. And Ace, don't be a stranger for so long without a visit, okay?"

"I'll stop by again as soon as the stone is recovered," Ace assured her. "Okay, Littlefoot, see if you spot them right now."

"You got it. Water, flow within my mind!" Littlefoot's body glistened like the ocean, and he closed his eyes. "Found them- in a forest," he finally said, then yawned.

"There are many forests on this world. Can you be any more specific?" Ace asked.

"Not really. There are just- a lot of trees."

"Can you scope out the area outside of the forest? There may be a sign, like the thing standing up at the Forgetful Falls."

"Hm. Let me see…" About a minute later, Littlefoot said, "Yeah, there is another one of those- outside the forest. It has a few rows- of squiggly lines."

"Does the first mark of the first two rows look the same?" Ace questioned.

"Yeah."

"Not good. They're trapped- in the Forever Forest."

"What's so bad about a bunch of trees?" Cera wanted to know.

"It's not the trees; it's what surrounds them. There is a wall that lets creature in but not out. No one has ever escaped from the Forever Forest. That's how it got its name. Creatures are stuck there- forever. Let me explain…"

xxxxx

Having gone deeper into the forest once more, the voice returned. Dusk and the others covered their ears, but it didn't help.

"Ceit!" Dusk called out. There was no answer. "Ugh, if only Menta was still psychic. She could just use Mind Seek."

"I'm sorry, my lord."

"Not your fault that your power changed." They were both shouting to be heard over the voice. It kept saying the same thing to each over and over. The group continued walking, but they found neither Ceit nor an exit. After walking straight ahead for a while, they reached the other side, only to discover the invisible wall there too.

"Looks like Ceit is our only hope of getting out of here. Ceit!" but again, no reply came from Dusk's shout.

"Should we split up to look for Ceit?" Menta asked.

"No. If we can't find Ceit after looking this long, imagine how long it would take to group back up if we all went different ways," Dusk answered. After walking a little longer, they finally stopped to take a break.

"Um, Dusky, could we stop somewhere else please? That tree looks mean," Coaley said quietly. Dusk chuckled slightly.

"Coaley, there's nothing to be scared of. It's just a plant. It can't do anything to us," he explained.

"But, it's staring at us."

Dusk turned and looked hard at the tree. There were two small holes above one big one. It did somewhat look like a face.

"I suppose that is kind of creepy," Dusk thought to himself. "Alright, Coaley, we'll rest somewhere else."

"Thank you."

"Oh, but may I get some leaves from the tree first?" Ali asked. "They look especially scrumptious on this one."

"Sure, go ahead," Dusk replied. Ali reared up and put her front legs onto the tree as high as they could go. She craned her neck up as much as possible and was just about to reach some food on its lowest branch when a noise stopped her.

"I wouldn't do that," came a voice.

Everyone jumped except Agu.

"Did you just- talk, tree?" Coaley asked slowly.

"Wait a moment!" Dusk exclaimed, facing the tree. "Your voice is the one I keep hearing in my head. What's going on? Why have you been saying these things to us?" Dusk was surprised that the tree could talk, but after seeing so many incredible things in this world, he had learned to overcome shock quickly.

"Why, I've only been doing what everyone has been doing to my kind. You don't like your fears being thrown at you, do you?"

"How would you know what we fear?" Dusk asked.

"My power is that of a psychic. I can see everything in your minds. I will keep you here for all eternity for what has been done to my kind!"

"So you're the reason there's a barrier around this forest!" Dusk exclaimed.

"Indeed. It was hard, but I learned to create a field that lets creatures through but not out."

"Why are you telling us all of this?" Menta asked. "With our powers combined, we can destroy you and get free."

The tree chucked. "I haven't had a conversation in a long time. Travelers rarely ever come here, so I assume a warning sign has been erected outside. So I was a bit lonely, you could say, but I'm perfectly safe. You won't harm me when I have your friend in here with me." Then it thought to itself, "I wonder if they've discovered that I can't reach their thoughts at the edge of the woods. Hm, and I see that that Long Neck's memories have been altered so her fears are gone. As for Agu, his mind is being blocked by another force. Curious…"

Dusk and Menta exchanged glances, then the tree opened its mouth wide. Ceit lay unconscious inside the tree's body.

"What did you do to him!" Dusk demanded, baring his teeth.

"Oh, we had a little tussle, so I had to knock him out. But I'd be more worried about yourselves! I will torment you with your fears for as long as you live!" With that, the voice in their heads resumed.

"What has been done to you that we deserve this?" Dusk cried out.

"Good question. Let me show you."

Suddenly, the dinosaurs saw images playing before them. There were several Rainbow Faces walking around carrying strange devices. They looked like sticks with teeth, and they went around rubbing them on the trees. After so long, some of them came crashing to the ground. The devices were cutting the trees! The scene vanished, now showing another group of Rainbow Faces. They were pulling branches off of the trees and throwing them into a pile. One of them pointed his hand at the brush, and the sticks burst into flame. Finally, the scenes came to an end and they were back with the great tree.

"My kind fears saws and fire, and we were tormented by them for years. I came to life through the magic of this world, then I vowed to never let anyone get away with this again."

Dark clouds has begun looming overhead. With the thickness of the trees, however, no one took notice of it. Suddenly, Coaley ran over to the talking tree and wrapped her arms around it.

"Wha-?" it suddenly went, then it noticed that she was crying.

"That was so terrible!" she sobbed. "Seeing your kind cut down and burned… I don't blame you for being angry. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Then Coaley buried her face in its trunk and continued to sob.

The tree was speechless for a bit. No one was ever upset by the trees being destroyed, and certainly no one wanted to do anything about it. Before the tree could find any words to say, a bold of lightning struck the forest. It hit the tallest tree around- the one that could speak.

It yelped in pain as it burst into flames, and Ceit finally awoke. The Flying Sharptooth took the opportunity to fly out of its mouth, and he rejoined his friends. All of the dinosaurs turned and ran. The tree watched them leave with sadness. With it gone, they'd be able to escape. It didn't blame them, but it had half-expected at least the little one who hugged it to put out the fire. It closed its eyes and waited to be burned up. Then, a sudden rustling caused it to open its eyes again. Dusk and the others were back and carrying- soaked leaves? They quickly began beating on the tree with them and the fire couldn't hold out. In just a couple of minutes, the tree was no longer burning.

Menta came over to the tree and said, "Rewind!" All of the wood that had been burned away or charred was suddenly renewed.

"Yay!" Coaley shouted. "I was so worried." And with that, she rushed over to the tree and hugged it again.

"Why- why would you all do that for me?" it wanted to know. Suddenly, as quickly as the storm came, the clouds parted and a ray of sunlight shone down on the group.

"Silly," Coaley replied. "How could anyone just sit around and watch you burn?" Then Coaley quickly covered her mouth, recalling the vision. "Uh, I mean-"

The tree lowered one of its branches, and it rested on Coaley's head.

"Thank you," was all that it said.

"Not everyone hurts the trees," Dusk spoke up. "I hope from this day that you'll discern and not punish everyone who crosses this forest."

"You can count on it," the tree replied. "The barrier has been lifted. You can all go now."

The dinosaurs waved at the tree, and they all took off.

"Wait!" the tree called. "I sensed that you entered from the way you're heading now. If you want to reach the other side, you need to turn around."

"Now it's my turn to thank you," Dusk replied. The group switched directions and began heading out of the forest. All the while, Agu was being unusually quiet…


	12. Chapter XI

**Chapter XI: Spirit of the Past**

In which a grieving boy lingers on.

"There is a bright side though. Now we know where Dusk is," Ace told them.

"I wonder, though. If no one ever escapes from this Forever Forest, how do dinosaurs know the story behind it?" Ruby wanted to know.

"That's a good question. There was only one who ever managed to get out of the Forever Forest."

"Well if that guy could do it, why couldn't anyone?" Cera asked.

"The only one who got out wasn't able to bring his life with him."

Littlefoot turned to the Three Horn. "What are you saying, Ace?"

"I'm saying that, only his spirit got out." When everyone stopped and stared at Ace, he continued. "In this world, if someone is fixated to something and full of regret, his or her soul may linger on. It doesn't happen often, but there have been cases. Years ago, two young Rainbow Faces were playing a game of hide and seek…

Flash Back

"Come on, don't lag behind!" a young boy called back with a big grin.

"Come on, you're so much faster than me," he replied with a huff.

The boy in the lead finally stopped, allowing his friend to catch up.

"Let's play a game!"

"How about tag?"

"Nah, it's no fun with just two of us. Mm, how about- hide and seek?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Okay, let's go into this forest. It'll be a real challenge finding someone in a place like that." With that, the boy started walking into the woods.

"Wait!" the other boy cried.

"What is it?"

"These woods… It just feels weird. I don't know how to explain it, but this place just seems creepy."

"Don't be a wimp. Come on."

"Please…"

"Quit yer whining! You're going if I have to drag you!" he called, starting to grab his friend's arm.

"Okay, okay, fine! Just quit pullin'."

The two boys walked into the large gathering of trees, then the first boy said, "Okay, I'll count first. Now go and hide."

"Alright." The second boy quickly took off, looking for a good place to hide himself.

"…Eight, nine, ten! Okay, here I come!" He then took off, following the path of broken twigs. "Heh, he'll be easy to find now. I wanted a challenge, but oh well. At least I get to practice my tracking skills." He followed the trail for a couple of minutes, finally reaching something that caught his eye. "Hm?" He bent over and scooted away a pile of leaves resting on top of a nest of eggs. "Did I track my friend, or…? Uh oh." He slowly turned when he heard a low growling.

A short, two-legged beast with black skin and one eye lumbered over at a fast pace. She glared at the boy and a red beam erupted from her eye. The boy jumped out of the way, but the heat ray grazed his ankle, and he tumbled to the ground.

"Ral, help!" he shouted.

The beast came closer and shot another blast. The boy quickly stretched his arm to a great length and grabbed a branch sticking out of a nearby tree and held it in front of him. The beam hit the wood, and it burst into flame. The boy then threw it down and began trying to get to his feet. His ankle was in great pain, but he shook it off and tried to run. Unfortunately, his burn suddenly jabbed him with pain, and he fell again. The beast glared at the boy, ready to shoot another beam when a rock hit her in her eye.

"Are you alright, Ginnus?" Ral asked, helping his friend up.

"Yes, thank you."

The beast quickly brushed off the pain. The rock had only grazed the white in her eye. She shot another blast, and Ginnus, being unable to move quickly from his injury, couldn't get away in time. Ral quickly stepped between them and took the attack to his back.

"Ah!" he exclaimed from the immense burning on his back. He fell to his knees from his injury.

"Ral!" Ginnus looked back at the beast who wasn't done yet.

Ral held his hands together and another rock began forming. It got bigger and bigger until it was a large boulder. He slowly got to his feet, clutching his back.

"Help me roll this."

"Okay." The two boys pushed with all their might and the huge rock started rolling towards the beast. She tried blasting it away with another beam, but it was too big. It rolled right over her, crushing her to death.

"We did it!" Ginnus shouted, then remembered his friend's injury. "I'll dip some leaves in this puddle and put them on your back. Hold still."

"Okay." As the plants were applied, Ral winced in pain.

"Let's get out of here. I'll stretch out my legs so we'll cover a lot of ground quickly." He hunched over and Ral climbed on. Ginnus then extended his legs to a great length and began running out of the woods. Not too far away though, someone was waking up…

"Your friend will be scarred for life. You damaged his body by forcing him in here," came a voice in Ginnus's head.

"Who said that?"

"Huh?"

"After the danger your friend put you in, your mother will never let you play with him again," Ral suddenly heard.

"Who-?"

"You heard a voice too?" Ginnus asked.

"Yeah. Who's there?" There was no answer.

The voice became louder and louder, but the boys tried to ignore it. Finally, Ginnus reached the edge of the forest. With a burst of speed, he dashed to get out of the woods, but bumped into something and fell down, knocking Ral off of his back.

"What the-? What did I hit?"

"A tree, maybe?"

"No, I didn't run into a tree, that's for sure." He reduced his legs to their original length and put his hands up. They hit something, but he could see nothing. "There's some sort of- wall- blocking us in."

"Maybe it's not around the whole forest. Let's walk along the edge and see if we can find an opening." Then he clutched his back in pain. Ginnus stretched his legs again, and they started to search. Being at the edge of the forest, the voice had stopped. The two of them circled the entire forest with no luck. Finally, Ginnus dropped from exhaustion.

"It's no use. This field is around the whole place. We're trapped."

"Wait," Ral said. "When we got in, there was no wall. Maybe it comes and goes. Let's search again later."

After they had rested for a few minutes, they got up and felt around. The wall was still there. The boys kept this up for days. There was plenty of plants to eat, but they couldn't find enough water. After a few days, both of them died.

Flash Back

"Oh my, that is a sad story, it is, it is," Ducky said quietly.

"Yeah, but if they never escaped, how do you know their story?" Cera asked.

"The boy Ginnus was so overcome with regret over dragging his friend into the woods to his death, that when he died, he became a ghost. The wall that keeps things in doesn't stop things from the spiritual plane. He constantly roams around the outside of the forest, scaring any he finds to keep them from getting trapped as well. He does this in hopes of atoning for what he let happen to his friend. However, sometimes dinosaurs got by without seeing him and ended up losing their lives as well. One day, a young dinosaur was not frightened off by the ghost. He asked the spirit what his story was, and the boy was obliged. He then went on to put up signs around the forest to keep dinosaurs out that the ghost may miss."

"If I had to guess, I would guess that you are the boy who heard the story?" Ruby asked with a smirk.

Ace grinned before responding. "You bet I am. It seems that the ghost missed Dusk's group, and they apparently can't read so became trapped."

Chomper started sniffing, so Littlefoot came to his side.

"What's wrong, Chomper?"

"Dusk may have done a lot of bad things, but, I did really like him. Now he's doomed."

"And we can't get the stone back either," Cera added.

"Who cares about some rock! Living, breathing Sharpteeth are going to lose their lives," Chomper sobbed.

"I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

Chomper wiped his nose then quickly added, "No, it's okay. I'm sorry for snapping at you like that."

"Oh, this isn't the first time, so I'm used to it," Cera replied with a grin. Everyone but Chomper and Ruby laughed as they recalled Chomper biting Cera's tail not long after he had hatched.

"Should we report back to Rey?" Littlefoot asked Ace. "There isn't anything we can do now."

"It seems that that's all we can do," he replied. "Let's go back."

"Wait!" Chomper called out. Everyone stopped and turned to him. "I- I want to know how they're doing- just one last time. Would you see if you can find them and tell me what they're doing?"

"Chomper, knowing how they're doing may just make it harder on you to get them out of your mind. I know you're worried, but it's hopeless now," Ruby reasoned.

"Still, at least, I want to know how Dusk and Coaley are holding up. Please, Littlefoot?"

"Okay, I'll change now. But, how would you like to see them yourself?"

"Huh?"

"If you put a hand on me while I search for them, what I see, you'll see too."

"Wow, okay. Let's do it."

"Water, flow within my mind!" Littlefoot's body shimmered like water and he focused to see where Dusk and his friends were now. Chomper rested a hand on his shoulder. After a few moments, both Littlefoot's and Chomper's eyes widened.

"They're- they're not in the forest anymore…" Chomper said slowly.

Now it was Ace's turn to have widened eyes. "What! Impossible! No one has ever gotten through before."

"Well," Littlefoot said with a yawn, "it seems that Dusk has- found a way."

xxxxx

"Ma lord! There is a place with Rainbow Faces living in it not far from here. We can coerce one of them like we did with that old one."

"Excellent find, Ceit," Dusk complimented.

"I hope they have a pond or something," Menta said. "I'm so dirty. I must have a bath soon or I'm gonna go crazy."

"Me too," Coaley added.

"Me three," Ali added as well.

"Girls," Dusk said while rolling his eyes.

Then Menta poked him. "What's that supposed to mean?" she said with a laugh. "Is it really a feminine thing to want to be clean?"

"Of course," Ceit cut in, joining the joke. Everyone laughed, save Agu, who said nothing.

Coaley turned to him and gave him a poke on the shoulder. "You're awfully quiet, glum face. Is something on your mind?"

"I'm just enjoying observing this circle of friends. I haven't spent time with a friend in a long time."

Everyone glanced at him but said nothing. They all thought he just trying to be weird so didn't press him with any comments. Finally, Dusk stopped, then Menta bumped into him.

"Sorry, my lord."

"Not to worry. Nothing can ruin this moment. Agu, make the stone look like a walking stick. We've arrived."

"Sure thing." Dusk finally had no more doubts of how useful Agu was to the group, and he smiled to himself.

Everyone looked ahead and saw a small village. There was a large field nearby with Rainbow Faces, young and old, tending to it. One of the children saw Dusk and the others coming and tugged on her mother's side. She then turned and noticed the kids herself.

"We have company," she announced to the others. Everyone stopped working the land and turned.

"I've never seen beasts like them before."

"Me neither."

"Have they come to attack us?"

"They don't look very tough."

"Everyone, please, try and remain calm. I'll investigate." An old, male Rainbow Face approached Dusk and the others. "Can you beasts speak?" he asked them.

"Yes, we can speak. But we're not beasts. We're dinosaurs as well," Dusk told them.

"So, king Rey decided to bring more other worlders here, eh? Then let us welcome you as honored guests."

"You're too kind," Dusk replied. "Thank you. We are weary."

"Do you have any ponds nearby we can wash up in?" Menta asked him.

"All the bodies of water in the area are somewhat muddy. I'm afraid that that is one accommodation that we cannot provide. We can and will provide you all with some nourishment though."

"Much appreciated," she replied.

The other Rainbow Faces put up their tools and gathered to meet their visitors. The little girl who first saw Dusk walked up to Coaley.

"Hiya," she told her.

"Nice to meetcha," Coaley replied.

"Let's prepare a feast for our guests," the old Rainbow Face told the others.

"But elder," one of them whispered to him, "we barely have enough for ourselves-"

"Silence. It is customary to treat guests like our own. Besides, if we don't treat them well, we risk incurring the king's wrath."

"Is everything alright? We're not an inconvenience, are we?" Dusk wanted to know.

"Not at all," the elder replied. "Now, just to be sure, all of you are meat-eating dinosaurs except the long necked one, right?"

"How did you know that?" Menta asked, amazed.

"The king has written a lot about his travels to another world. He mentioned that dinosaurs with sharp teeth eat meat, while those with flat eat vegetation," the elder explained.

Everyone in Dusk's group was curious what "written" meant, but they didn't want to seem foolish so put it out of their minds.

"Um, mommy, may I go play while you help make dinner? Please?" the little girl from before asked.

"Well sure. Just don't go too far now," she answered.

"Dusky…?"

Dusk grinned. "Sure. You go and have some fun now."

The little girl who had approached Coaley said, "My name is Niah. What's yours?"

"I'm Coaley."

"Uh," the girl's mother started. Then she motioned for Dusk to come closer. "There's no chance she'll try eating my daughter is there?" she whispered.

"None at all. Coaley values friendship above all else. Your daughter is completely safe," Dusk whispered back. "Agu and Ali, would you like to go and play with them too?"

"Play, huh? I haven't played with anyone in a long time… Very well," Agu said in return.

"I'd love to!" Ali exclaimed. With that, the three children took off into a nearby field that had a few scattered trees.

"Come, our honored guests," the elder told the remaining Sharpteeth, motioning towards the largest building in the village. Dusk, Menta, and Ceit followed the old Rainbow Face inside and they all sat down on some chairs, minus some of the females who began preparing the meal.

"Here, I'll set your walking stick by the door," one of the males told Dusk.

Dusk quickly pulled his arm back and replied, "Sorry, this stick means a lot to me. I'd like to hang onto it. Thank you, though."

"Sure," the male replied.

"You all make yourself at home while the girls work. You must be very tired," the elder told them.

The three of them nodded as a thank you and reclined.

xxxxx

"You're it now!" Coaley cried to her new friend.

"Aw, you're so fast!" Niah moaned. She then started to go after Ali, but her long legs made the chase too difficult. Finally, she set her sights on Agu. He turned to run away when he tripped over an exposed root. Agu got on his knees and started to cry.

Niah exclaimed, "Oh my!" and quickly bent over to help him up.

"Agu, are you okay!" Coaley asked as she and Ali also came to his side.

"I'm just fine," he replied as his tears kept falling. "I just- missed playing with kids so much."

"Are you sure you're fine?" Ali wanted to know. "You've seemed- different- since we came to that forest. What's going on, buddy?"

"I guess it's time you all knew. I've already had such a great time mingling so closely with others. I should let go now and be on my way," Agu explained.

"What are you talking about, Agu?" Ali questioned him. "You're not making any sense."

"Okay, it's like this," but Agu was cut short from a loud screeching in the sky.

"Aerial Screechers!" Niah cried. "We gotta get outta here!"

Her warning was too late though. Four flying beasts landed and formed a square around the kids. They screeched all the more and bared their sharp teeth. The kids walked in reverse until they were all back to back.

"Looks like we have no choice," Ali announced. "We'll have to fight."


	13. Chapter XII

**Chapter XII: A Promise and a Captive**

In which Cera makes a vow, and a member of Dusk's group gets taken.

"Should we try going through the forest too or around it?" Cera asked.

"I say around," Ace replied. "However Dusk and the others managed to get through might not work for us. Hm, I wonder if Ginnus is around. He might know how they escaped the forest. But, I don't see him anywhere, and it'd be a waste of time to try waiting for him. Hey, Petrie, is your giant summon done cooling down?"

"Me sorry, but no."

"Do you have any other summons that would help us get around the woods faster?"

"Hmmm. Actually, me do have another big summon. Come forth, Aqua Dasher!" Petrie shouted, holding a wing to the air.

A very large fish-like creature appeared before the group. He immediately began flopping around on the ground. Ace raised a foot to his forehead.

"Petrie, that is an water beast. They can't move on land or fly."

"Ooh… Me not thinking clearly, sorry." Petrie waved his wing and the beast disappeared. "Oh! Me have flying creature me can summon."

"Perfect!" Ace exclaimed. "We can fly over the forest quickly from the air."

"Uh, well um-"

"What's the matter?"

"Each summon has a long cool down, but summoning in general shares a cool down as well."

Ace sighed. "Meaning you can't call forth anyone for a while after a summon. Great. Alright, let's get a move on. This is a big forest, so it'll take a while to walk around it."

The others glared at Petrie who in turn cowered, then they began their long trek. After a few minutes, Ducky started to hum a tune. Her friends glanced at her and grinned. Eventually, all of the kids, minus Ace, started to sing.

_We're on a treacherous journey._

_We're slowly traversing the land._

_It doesn't matter if there are cliffs_

_Or ponds of sinking sand._

_Danger! Danger!_

_Could be around the corner._

_Trouble! Trouble!_

_Might lurk beyond the bend._

_What'll we do if we end up in peril?_

_We won't give up the fight!_

_We'll make it through alright!_

_We'll stop at nothing on our quest._

_We'll do whatever we must._

_Good thing we have a witty guide_

_That has every bit of our trust._

At that, Ace cracked a smile.

_Danger! Danger!_

_Could be around the corner._

_Trouble! Trouble!_

_Might lurk beyond the bend._

_What'll we do if we end up in peril?_

_We won't give up the fight!_

_We'll make it through alright!_

_We're off to retrieve the magic stone._

_We're going to defeat our foes._

_But if we'll make it through unscathed?_

_No one really knows._

_Danger! Danger!_

_Could be around the corner._

_Trouble! Trouble!_

_Might lurk beyond the bend._

_What'll we do if we end up in peril?_

_We won't give up the fight!_

_We'll make it through alright!_

_We'll make sure to save our world._

_We'll be home again soon._

_We all have power that is great,_

_But friendship is our true boon._

_Danger! Danger!_

_Could be around the corner._

_Trouble! Trouble!_

_Might lurk beyond the bend._

_What'll we do if we end up in peril?_

_We won't give up the fight!_

_We'll make it through alright!_

Finally, everyone stopped singing but Littlefoot who finished the song by himself.

_No matter what we have to do,_

_We will see our adventure- throoough!_

"You guys aren't bad. I never did get into singing myself, but you guys really seem to know how to handle a voice," Ace commented.

"Hee," Cera replied. "We've had a lot of experience over the course of time."

The kids chuckled, thinking of all the songs they'd sung together. However, this cheery moment was drawing to a close. Someone had been, unbeknownst to them all, tracking Littlefoot and the others. He had a scar on his tail, and he was mad. This time, he brought a few friends for some fierce payback…

xxxxx

"I want my mommy!" Niah sobbed.

"Coaley, take her and run! Agu and I will handle these things," Ali ordered.

Coaley turned towards her new friend, then looked back at Ali and Agu.

"I- if I run and you two get hurt, I could never forgive myself. Please don't make me leave," Coaley begged.

Ali turned and said, "Very well. But make sure you keep her safe."

"I will!"

"Agu, Fuse!" Ali called out. Her body became ghost-like and she drifted into Agu.

Agu looked around at the creatures surrounding him, and they all suddenly began squawking in pain.

"What's happening to them?" Niah asked Coaley, clutching her tight.

"Agu must be working an illusion on them, making them feel pain all over. They should get discouraged and leave us soon," Coaley explained.

Finally, one of the flying beasts screeched loudly, facing Agu. He quickly clutched his head in pain and fell to his knees.

"Agu!" Coaley screamed. "What's wrong?"

"It's the piercing cry of an Arial Screecher," Niah explained. "It causes horrible pain in the ears and disrupts thoughts."

"Not good," Coaley thought to herself. One of the beasts swooped over to knock into Agu when a rock hit the creature in the head. "Nice shot," Coaley complimented her friend. The beast quickly shook his head and started to build up energy for a piercing cry on Niah. "Negate!" Coaley shouted.

The beast opened his mouth wide but no blast came out; his power stopped working. Another one of them tried the same thing, but Coaley merely repeated her action from before. Finally, the last two beasts got ready to blast Coaley and Niah at the same time.

"Negate Field!" An aura of energy circled around Coaley and the little Rainbow Face. The cries hit the energy then dissipated.

Agu had regained his senses and ran over to Coaley. "Use that field thing again on me so I can make an illusion without getting blasted."

"Okay, almost ready. My Negate Field has a little cool down."

The two beasts who had had their power negated earlier had recovered and joined the others.

"Is it almost ready!" Agu asked in desperation.

"Just about."

All four of them opened their beaks and were about to blast in unison.

"Coaley!"

"Not quite!"

Finally, all four of them emitted a shrill cry at once.

"Ready! Negate Field!" Coaley exclaimed. The blasts hit the field and sizzled away to nothing. Once again, the Aerial Screechers shrieked in agony. With Ali Fused with him, Agu was able to make the illusions much more painful than usual. However, he soon began to sweat. Creating illusions in the minds of four creatures at once for so long was really taking its toll.

"Hurry up and fly away!" Agu thought to himself in frustration.

After another minute, the beasts had finally had enough and started to leave. Agu released the illusions and breathed a sigh of relief. Ali emerged from Agu's body and solidified once more.

The four friends finally relaxed and all exchanged big grins.

"I'm starving," Agu announced. "Let's head back." The four of them turned and began to return to the village. None of them noticed that one of those flying beasts was coming back. She swooped down, grabbed Coaley by the shoulders in her talons, and flew off.

"Coaley, no!" Ali screamed.

Niah suddenly exclaimed, "Each of you come to a side of me! We'll catch them!"

xxxxx

"Let's take a break. The burn on my foot is starting to act up," Cera complained.

"Very well," Ace replied. Everyone stopped and sat down, then a stick cracked from being stepped on. Ace quickly bolted back to his feet and glanced around.

"Ace? What is it?" Littlefoot asked him.

"Didn't you guys hear that stick?"

"I didn't, but one of us must have just sat on one," Chomper theorized.

"No. I distinctly heard the snap _after_ everyone was already down. We have company."

The rest of the kids got up and looked every which way. Finally, a familiar face entered the scene.

"You!" Chomper exclaimed.

"You know a Silence Stalker?" Ace asked in surprise.

"I guess you could say that. He attacked Cera when we first arrived. See that scar on his tail? That was the work of yours truly," Chomper said smugly.

"I see. Beasts rarely let go of a grudge. Looks like we're in for some trouble," Ace told them.

"It's no big deal," Cera said. "We beat him before, and we can do it again."

"It's not that simple," Ace replied. "You see, when a beast really wants revenge, he or she usually-" Suddenly, several more of them emerged from the trees. "-brings friends."

There were six of them altogether. Petrie flew up into a tree, defenseless with his summon ability still on cool down. Ducky turned Invisible and moved away from everyone.

"This is perfect. Petrie's out of commission and Ducky can't really fight, so it's an even six on six. Let's get to work," Ace ordered. The able-to-fight kids each stood in front of a beast. "Better transform quickly, Littlefoot. When one howls at you, you'll be silenced."

"Oh, right, thanks. Fire, blaze within my soul!" Littlefoot's body shown like a raging fire. "Okay, guys! Let's get to work!" Littlefoot charged at one of the beasts who jumped up onto his back. The beast howled in pain and hopped off, having been burned from Littlefoot's hot skin. Then in unison, each of the beasts howled. Everyone except Ducky and Petrie couldn't utter a word.

"Oh no!" Cera thought to herself. "I forgot to use my power before I was silenced."

One of the beasts walked up to her slowly, backing her up against a tree. Ace had laid down a Slumber Trap, putting his opponent into a deep sleep. He looked satisfied, but seeing the peril Cera was in made him quickly rush over to her. Her opponent leapt up at her but Ace got in the way, getting bitten in the face. Cera wanted to apologize so badly, but she couldn't speak. Ace quickly head butted the beast in the face, causing him to howl in pain.

Spike charged his foe and knocked him into a tree. The beast quickly got up but he just charged him again and again until he ran off. Chomper's beast kept trying to bite and claw him. He was the one with the scar from Chomper's teeth. Try as he might though, he couldn't catch him. Chomper kept zigzagging out of the way of the blows until the beast started panting. Chomper stuck out his tongue but didn't notice the rock sticking out of the ground. He tripped, fell, then slid along the ground. Littlefoot's fiery breath had set his opponent on fire. The beast was rolling on the ground to put himself out with no luck. Littlefoot turned to see Chomper about to be pounced on by his beast so he took a deep breath and made an abrupt puff from his throat. A ball of fire flew at Chomper's pursuer, hitting him dead on and setting him ablaze. The two burning beasts took off as well.

Ruby had put her hand on a tree, trying to become like wood. However, the branch that she had grabbed was covered in leaves which touched her hand more than the branch itself. In the end, Ruby's body turned green and became very thin and light like a leaf.

"Oh dear!" she moaned. She tried dodging the swipes from her foe, but it's hard to move when your body is like a plant. Littlefoot shot another fire ball on Ruby's enemy, catching him on fire and causing him to flee as well. Unfortunately, an ember flew away and landed on Ruby. She began running back and forth in a panic as her body started to burn.

"Uh oh!" Littlefoot exclaimed. "Water, flow within my soul!" Changing to his water form, Littlefoot quickly shot out a stream of water from his mouth, putting Ruby out. She was finally able to change back and thanked Littlefoot for the help.

Ace then laid a Snare Trap and the beast who had bitten him got stuck. Ace backed up, trying to catch his breath. Then a rock suddenly sailed through the air and hit the trapped beast on the nose. The contact freed him and he resumed his assault on Ace. The Three Horn hunched down and spun around, creating a tail swipe that knocked the beast down. Cera then charged him, knocking him into the beast that was asleep. He woke up, and the last two of them ran away. Finally, everyone could speak again.

"Ducky," Ace said right away, "any direct contact on a beast effected by a magic trap frees him. Thank you for throwing that rock and trying to help, but next time I lay a trap for someone, don't do anything to him."

"Okay, sorry," she replied, becoming visible again. "At least I did something though, yep, yep, yep," she added, glaring at Petrie. Petrie looked sheepish and cowered.

"Ace, I am so, so sorry. You got hurt protecting me yet again. Let me help wipe the blood off of your face," Cera offered.

"I'm fine," he replied sternly. "Just be more careful in the future."

"Okay," Cera replied in a low tone, still feeling awful.

Ace noticed so added, "Just forget it. I'm not mad. Let's just go."

Still, even with Ace's recent comment, Cera's feeling of guilt lingered. She fell back in line and continued walking, tail between her legs. "Ace," she thought to herself. "Sooner or later, I'm gonna save you to pay you back for this. And that's a promise."

xxxxx

"The food won't be much longer now," the elder assured Dusk and his companions.

"Just don't rush on our account," Dusk replied. "We won't starve if you all take your time. Being any sort of inconvenience doesn't sit well with me."

"You're truly a noble dinosaur," the elder said, bowing slightly.

Dusk blushed slightly and gave a light chuckle. Then he looked out the window of the building he was in. "I wonder what Coaley and the others are up to right now. Hope they're having a lot of fun."


	14. Chapter XIII

**Chapter XIII: Losing a Mother, Gaining a Rash**

In which a tragedy befalls a family, and Spike runs into some trouble.

"Let me go! Please!" Coaley shouted.

Her captor did not look down as she flew but squawked slightly. The beast soared through the sky alone. Her companions from earlier had gone their separate ways. She started flapping harder, gaining more altitude as she neared her destination. On a high mountain peak overlooking a river, a nest had been made. There were two eggs nestled warmly inside beneath a pile of leaves. The plants seemed to shiver slightly, but there was no wind. The eggs were starting to hatch.

Coaley could feel her heart racing. She was terrified and started to cry. The Aerial Screecher set her down beside the eggs then gently sat on them to make them warmer. Coaley looked down over the edge and started to panic. They were really high up, and there was no path down. She couldn't escape. Coaley collapsed onto the floor of the nest, knowing that there was nothing she could do. A few minutes passed, minutes that were torture for the little Sharptooth. Any moment, she was about to be lunch.

The beast suddenly looked up and glanced around, and Coaley turned to her curiously. Finally, Coaley heard it too. There was a low squawking sound off in the distance, and it was clearly upsetting Coaley's capturer. Another flying beast entered the scene, clearly not an Aerial Screecher. This one had two sets of wings and was considerably bigger with a duller coloration on his body. The Aerial Screecher dived into him and a battle between them ensued. They pecked and slashed at each other fiercely.

Finally, unbeknownst to their mother, the eggs started to crack open. First one of them completely broke apart, then the other. Coaley quickly scooted back to the edge of the nest. The two babies eyed her hungrily and snapped at her with much enthusiasm. The young girl kept moving around abruptly to avoid being bitten. Eventually, one of them dashed at Coaley who immediately dodged. The little guy couldn't stop in time and tumbled out of the nest. Coaley lunged forward, trying to snatch him before it was too late and managed to grab his wing. Coaley was almost completely out of the nest, hanging on with her feet. She started to reel herself back in, but the other baby bit her hard on her foot. The sudden pain made her jump, and both she and the baby she was clutching tumbled out of the nest and began plummeting down. The child's mother was too preoccupied fighting the egg-eating beast to notice.

The two of them started falling faster and faster, Coaley's tears of fear moving up her face. She thought it was over for her when finally she landed- right into the river. The water wasn't rushing too quickly, so Coaley found that she was able to swim against the current. She scanned the area for the baby and managed to spot him before he went under. Coaley took a deep breath and dived. Several seconds passed, but suddenly, a little Sharptooth could be seen clutching a baby Aerial Screecher. Coaley set him on her shoulder and swam for the shore.

She plopped onto the ground, exhausted. Both of them were breathing very hard. The baby eventually walked right up beside her and opened his mouth. Coaley noticed too late to move away, but instead of biting her, he licked her face gently. Coaley giggled slightly. The moment was interrupted, however, when a familiar noise echoed from above them. The mother beast landed beside them and stared at the two soaked creatures closely. She looked at Coaley and opened her mouth. Coaley was ready to cast Negate, but instead of sending a Piercing Screech, she licked Coaley's cheek gently, just as her child had done. She clutched the baby in her mouth then flew back up to her nest, leaving Coaley alone.

"Whew," Coaley said, letting all of her tension out at once. Then her mood dropped again. She had no idea where she was and couldn't remember the way back. She slumped down beside a tree and leaned against it. She wondered if maybe her friends had started looking for her and would find her. Coaley couldn't have been more right. Three dinosaurs flew overhead but didn't notice the little Sharptooth resting down below.

"You're really good at flying," Ali complimented.

"Thanks, but it's not really flying without wings. My power is called Levitation. I'm only glad I can use my power on those in contact with me," the Rainbow Face replied, having one hand on Ali's neck and the other holding Agu's hand. "Hey, I think I see a nest on that pillar."

The others looked ahead and saw it too. More importantly, they noticed the very same Aerial Screecher that had taken Coaley roosting in it. From where they were, they could also see two babies, but not their friend.

Ali gritted her teeth and a tear formed in her eye. "I bet she fed Coaley to her babies. She's gonna pay for that! Agu, I'm gonna knock her out of her nest and Fuse with you, then you focus all of your power onto her wings. They'll hurt so badly that she won't be able to fly and will plummet to her death."

"Okay."

Niah soared over until they were all above the nest. She let her friends go, and they landed safely. The mother was caught by surprise, so Ali was able to ram into her. She stepped off the nest and took to the sky, but Agu and Ali were ready with their power. Ali quickly Fused with Agu, and he got to work. The beast suddenly groaned and lurched in the air. Her wings were in agony. She tried to flap, but they just hurt far too much. She dropped like a rock down to the ground and hit it with a sickening thud. She never got up.

"That was for Coaley!" Ali shouted as she emerged from Agu and continued to cry.

Down below, Coaley had seen the mother hit the ground and rushed over to her. "What in the world-?"

"We'd better get going," Niah said solemnly, started to tear up as well. She held onto them both and again took to the skies. Agu looked down and couldn't believe his eyes.

"Hey! Is that- Coaley down there?"

"Don't joke around like that, Agu," Ali said in a deathly tone.

"No, I'm serious! Look!"

Ali and Niah glanced down, and low and behold, their friend was there.

"Coaley!" Ali and Niah exclaimed in unison with joy.

They landed beside her, and Ali ran over and hugged her. "I'm so glad you're okay." Coaley hugged her back, but her joy was short lived, having remembered the mother.

"I wonder what happened to her."

"We made her fall off the nest," Ali explained. "We had thought she had fed you to her babies."

Coaley started to sniff and cry.

"What's the matter?" Ali asked her.

"Those poor babies. They won't survive without their mother. We have to take them with us."

"Aerial Screechers are dangerous. Maybe this is for the bes-" but a look of utmost grief from Coaley interrupted him.

"I'll Levitate back up there and bring them down," Niah announced. In less than a minute, the baby beasts were safely on the ground. Coaley clutched them tightly and cried for them, as they were too young to comprehend their loss.

xxxxx

"We made it! We're on the other side of the forest," Littlefoot announced.

"How can you tell?" Cera wanted to know.

"The bright circle is now facing the opposite direction than it was when we first started walking around."

"Smart guy," Ace thought to himself. "Yes, they definitely passed this way. I can see crushed grass right here, leading away from the woods."

"How can you be sure it's them?" Littlefoot asked him.

"The imprints here are the same as yours, Littlefoot, and the others are like Chomper's."

"Observant guy," Littlefoot thought to himself.

"Okay, do your thing, Littlefoot. Let's see where they've gotten off to," Ace instructed.

"Right. Water, flow within my mind! Hm. They seem to be-" he stopped to yawn, "in a building- with Rainbow Faces."

"Is one of the Rainbow Faces very tall with a wrinkled face and grey eyes?" Ace questioned.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"That's the elder of a poor village not far from here. I'm actually friends with him. Dusk isn't attacking anyone, is he?"

"Nope. He's just- sitting in a chair- and there are- Rainbow Faces- all around there- working on- something."

"They must be making them dinner," Ace guessed.

"Do you think Dusk is forcing them to?" Chomper wanted to know.

"No, Dusk would have no reason to. They are kind and willing to help anyone that comes along. If we hurry, we should be able to catch up with them. Come on!"

The children started to move at a very brisk pace. Spike noticed a succulent-looking purple flower and quickly munched it away before joining the others.

xxxxx

"Hey, you guys are back. Have a good time?" Then Dusk noticed the little creatures Coaley was carrying.

"Not really," Coaley replied quietly.

"It's dangerous taking those things from their nest. Their mother is probably tracking you down to get them back as we speak," the elder warned.

Coaley, still with her head down, replied, "No. Their mother won't be coming."

Ali stepped forward and explained what happened.

"I see," Dusk said at last. "I understand how you must feel right now, Coaley, but with our journey, we can't take care of them."

A small tear rolled down the little Sharptooth's cheek.

"Don't worry," Niah told her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I'll look after them."

"But, Niah, Aerial Screechers are fierce, carnivorous beasts. What if they attack us one day?" the elder asked her.

"I won't let them become mean. I'll take great care of them. I promise!"

The elder sighed. Niah's mind was clearly made up. "Very well. They can stay on the upper floor of the barn."

"Thank you, elder, thank you!" Niah cried, hugging him tightly.

He chuckled and pattered her on the head.

"And thank you, Niah," Coaley said, hugging her friend.

"Food is ready!" one of the female Rainbow Faces announced.

Dusk and his friends all took a seat around the large table with watering mouths. There were roast meats on three different plates and vegetables on another.

"I wish we had some quality refreshments," the elder admitted, "but all we have is water."

Dusk's group didn't know what else there would be to drink, but they didn't care to ask. The lot of them were just too hungry. Ali felt a bit uneasy seeing the meat but just turned away and asked for the vegetable plate to be passed. Another female Rainbow Face came around and poured water into all of their glasses. All of them started to eat, even Coaley, who had started to feel better.

"Hey, Agu, what was it that you were trying to tell us earlier?" Ali wanted to know. "You know, before those beasts attacked us."

Agu tried to suppress a frown. "Uh, I forgot. Must have been nothing important."

"If you say so."

"I'm having so much fun," he thought to himself. "I'm just not ready to stop yet. Hold on just a bit longer," he thought to himself.

xxxxx

The gang was passing by a cluster of thorny bushes when Petrie halted them.

"Hey, me just remember something!" Petrie said suddenly. "My summoning ability has cooled off."

"Good. Now just hold on, and let's think this through before you waste it again," Ace cautioned. "Are you able to summon a Bulky Giant again?"

"Yep!" Petrie replied cheerfully. "Here I go! Come forth, Bulky Giant!"

"No, wait!" Ace shouted, but he was too late.

A Bulky Giant appeared in front of Petrie- right on top of some briars. He yelped in pain, tumbled onto his side, then vanished.

"What- what just happened?" Cera asked, dumbfounded.

"Ugh," Ace moaned. "As Petrie stated a while back, a Bulky Giant's weakness is pain. Whenever Petrie summons someone, he or she appears in front of him. He managed to summon one- right onto those thorny bushes."

"Uh, heh heh," Petrie laughed nervously. "Me- sorry?"

"Let's get a move on before we waste any more time," Ace ordered.

"Wait, I think I have an idea!" Cera said suddenly. "I can use my size magic and make one of us grow. Then we can all ride on him."

"Great idea," Ace said, and Cera beamed.

"Why not do it on Petrie?" Littlefoot suggested. "Flying is the fastest way to travel. Well, besides using Transport or Warp."

"Okay then. Petrie it is. Grow!" Cera called out, staring at Petrie. The little Flyer was a little Flyer no longer. He hunched over and everyone climbed onto his back. He soared into sky, quickly starting to close the already-small gap between Dusk and themselves.

Spike suddenly clenched his teeth, as his body had begun to really itch. He started scratching his side with his foot and nibbling on places that his foot couldn't reach. He was too preoccupied tending to his body to really notice it. Small, red dots were forming on his scales…


	15. Chapter XIV

**Chapter XIV: Close Encounter**

In which the two groups close the gap.

"Thank you. That was delicious," Dusk told his hosts.

"It was our pleasure," the elder replied.

"This is a really nice piece of land you have here. I wonder, would one of you like to give my friends and I a tour?"

Menta grinned. She knew what Dusk was up to.

"But of course. Mudo, would you please?"

A teenage boy stepped forward.

"Show these good folks the surrounding area."

Mudo bowed and headed out of the building. Dusk and his companions followed. He brought them over to the fields where they farmed, to some large fruit trees, to a large, murky pond, and more. The whole time, he explained the places telepathically. At each stop, Dusk and the others heard a voice in their heads. Dusk wondered why the boy didn't just speak.

"Is he just showing off his power to us?" Dusk wondered. Then, he heard a voice as a response.

"I am sorry, sir. I'm not trying to show off. I am mute; I can't speak. I hope my mental explanations aren't bothering you."

"Not at all," Dusk thought back. Dusk realized that this boy would be of no use with his plan. A wish has to be spoken, and this boy can't speak. The entire tour idea was a complete waste. With Mudo hearing their thoughts, he dared not sort out his realization into mental words. Now he'd have to find a new way to get a Rainbow Face away from the others. Mudo had finished the tour and started to lead the others back. A shadow suddenly passed overhead, and Dusk looked in horror to see Littlefoot and his friends.

"Thank you for the tour and to your kind for the hospitality. Now we really must be going. I just realized what a hurry we're in. Bye!" Dusk said quickly, beginning to run through a cluster of trees, his friends following, also having noticed the children.

Petrie landed gently, and his friends hopped off. Cera stopped staring at Petrie who shrank back to normal size. Littlefoot brought his back leg up to scratch his side which was itching horribly. Ducky too had brought her hands to her sides to start scratching away some skin irritation. In fact, all of them had started to itch. Ace closely examined his skin and sighed.

"Alright," he started between scratches, "who ate a purple flower?"

Spike turned red but made no noise.

"Why do you ask?" Cera wanted to know.

"It's poisonous. Not like killing poison but it creates a terrible, contagious, itchy rash that I can see all of us have."

"It wasn't me," Littlefoot announced.

"Me neither," Petrie added.

"Not me, nope, nope, nope," Ducky chimed in. Eventually, everyone said no- except Spike.

"Spike?" Ducky asked gently. The Spike Tail lowered his head. "It is okay, little brother. So, Ace, how do we make this itching stop?"

"We need a lotion called denizeen cream. The Rainbow Faces in the village just up ahead should have some."

The kids hurried as they scratched in a frenzy. Mudo was just about to head back inside when he saw Littlefoot and company.

"More guests?" he thought to himself. "That feast really set us back. I hope the elder isn't going to do that twice in one day."

"Hey, Mudo!" Ace called.

Mudo squinted against the sun and recognized his old friend. "Good evening," he replied mentally.

"We could really use some denizeen cream. Would you guys spare us a little?"

"Mm. It seems someone ate a purple lotus. Of course, we have plenty to share."

"Thank you."

The kids wondered how Ace had a conversation with Mudo when they didn't hear him say anything, but their itchiness was too distracting for anyone to care to ask. The young Rainbow Face led them all inside where several female Rainbow Faces were watching dishes.

"Ah, Ace," the elder said, getting to his feet. "It's been far too long, friend."

"That it has."

"Are you hungry?" he asked him, though deep inside, he hoped that they would say no.

Ace was well aware that this village was a poor one, so replied, "We're alright."

"Hey, I'm starv-" but Ace hastily stepped on Cera's foot, shutting her up.

"All we really could use is some-"

"Denizeen cream?" the elder finished, noticing all the rashes. "Of course. Mudo, would you fetch us a tube? You know where it's kept, right? The cabinet near the sink?"

Mudo nodded and went fetch it.

"Looks like you all just finished eating," Littlefoot noticed.

"Yes. We had some visitors earlier," the elder replied.

Ace's eyes narrowed. "Did most of them look like this guy?" he asked, motioning with his head at Chomper.

"Why, yes. Do you know them?"

"You could say that. Was one of them carrying a stone?"

"No, but the one who seemed to be the leader had a walking stick."

"More illusions…"

"Hm?"

"It's nothing. How long ago did they leave?"

"Why, they were with Mudo just a minute ago. Are you trying to catch up with them?"

"Yes. Let's move it, guys. If we hurry, we can track them down before they get too far away." With that, Ace headed for the door.

"Wait!" Cera called. "We need that cream. I'm too itchy."

"Would you rather we lose them again?"

"We'll have to fight them, but we can't fight them if we're so busy itching ourselves," Ruby pointed out.

Ace let out a sigh and tapped his foot impatiently as Mudo was retrieving the tube of cream. Finally, he returned. He squirted some out and rubbed it on the kids' rashes. They didn't vanish, but the itching did stop.

"The dots are still there," Chomper remarked.

"The lotion can't magically make the rashes go away. It just numbs the itching until they leave on their own. Now we've wasted enough time. Come on!" Ace ran out of the door, followed by the others.

Mudo exited as well, saying, "They went that way," as he pointed towards a cluster of trees. Ace nodded as a thank you and took off.

xxxxx

"I can't believe those pesky kids followed us all the way to this world," Dusk marveled. "Nor can I understand how they managed to get this close to us."

"Maybe one of them has some sort of tracking magic," Menta suggested.

"Perhaps. Agu, I have an idea…"

xxxxx

"There they are!" Ace shouted. Dusk and his friends turned and faced the children.

"This ends now, Dusk!" Littlefoot called out. "Fire, blaze within my soul!" There was a glimmer of light, and his body glowed red. He let loose a scorching blast of fire, but Dusk's group all managed to dodge it.

"Wait!" Dusk exclaimed. "Let's talk about this."

"Afraid we'll kick your butts again?" Cera sneered.

"Hmph," was Dusk's reply. "I just feel that we can settle this without another physical dispute. Unless you all are just itching for violence."

"Fine," Littlefoot responded. "We'll hear what you have to say."

"Let me start at the beginning. Sharpteeth live off of other dinosaurs. That is their source of food, just like plants are what sustains you leaf-eaters. Well, herbivores like you can eat in peace; you don't have to have a life or death fight just to get a little sustenance."

"We follow you so far," Ace said.

"Anyway, when I learned of the Stone of Cold Fire, I had an idea. What if Sharpteeth didn't have to struggle to get food? What if our meals could be as peaceful as those of flatteeth. So I came up with an idea."

"Hold on!" Ace shouted. "We've been had!"

"What do you mean, Ace?" Ducky wanted to know.

"This was just a trick to buy the real ones time to get away. Look, these guys have no shadow. They're illusions."

Petrie picked up a small stick and threw it at Dusk. It went right through him.

"Grrr," Cera said.

xxxxx

"They found out," Agu said. "They may catch up with us yet."

The group soon came to a slow-moving, shallow, but wide river. A few tall trees stood scattered about.

"New plan," Dusk told them. "Okay, Ceit…" After a few moments, some leaves appeared on the ground…

xxxxx

"The depressions on the ground end at this river. I seriously doubt they all jumped in. Littlefoot, would you see where they went?" Ace asked.

"Sure! Water, flow within my mind!" He transformed then yawned. "Let's see now. Hm. They came to this river- but then they vanished- one by one."

Ace scanned the area carefully. "Do any of them have the Warp ability?"

"One of them did, but I'm pretty sure that they got new powers like we did," Littlefoot answered.

"Okay, but it's possible that one of them got it as a new power. They couldn't have Transport, otherwise, they wouldn't be walking at all," Ace told them in an irritated tone. This puzzle was really frustrating him.

"Um, Ace?" Petrie asked.

"Not now. I'm trying to think."

"But, but-"

"Quiet!" A glare from Ace quieted Petrie right away.

He flew over to Littlefoot and landed on his head.

"Littlefoot?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

Petrie said nothing but instead pointed straight up. Littlefoot glanced up, and his jaw dropped open.

"Crud, they saw us," Dusk muttered to himself.

"Guys, I see them!" Littlefoot shouted. "Look up!"

Everyone glanced up to see trees filled with dinosaurs. Dusk and the others jumped down and formed a line in front of Littlefoot's group.

"It's the real deal this time," Ace told them.

"Ace?" Agu asked, seeing the Three Horn.

"You know me?"

"Yeah, it's me, Ginnus!"

"What are you doing in that kid's body!"

"Sorry, I just got so lonely. These guys slipped past me into the woods so I entered him and tried to keep them in for a while for some company, but they finally managed to make it out so I stayed with them. I just missed being with others so much."

"Uh, Agu, what are you talking about?" Ali asked.

"I should have told you earlier. I'm the ghost of the Forever Forest, and I've possessed this body. I saw in this mind what he was doing to you, so I just kept it up."

"What do you mean, 'What he was doing to me'?" Ali questioned.

"Just get out of our friend, okay?" Dusk interrupted.

A transparent being slipped out of Agu's body and hovered in the air.

"Gah, finally! If I could touch you, I'd really slug you one for taking over my body!" Agu shouted angrily.

"Okay, back to business," Ace said. "We're going to take you all down right now and get the stone back." Both groups tensed up. Chomper waved at Coaley, and she smiled and waved back.

"Ali! Are you alright?" Littlefoot asked her.

"Uh, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" she replied, confused by his concern.

Ace wasted no more time and started to charge at Dusk's group.

"Wait!" Ginnus shouted. "You're going to hurt these guys?"

"Yes," Ace answered. "They stole something important. Fighting is the only way to get it back."

"Sorry, Ace, but I've come to love these guys. I know we're friends, but, I can't let you hurt them." The spirit of Ginnus suddenly drifted into Littlefoot's watery body. "This guy seems to have the most powerful magic aura," Littlefoot seemed to say.

"Quit fooling around, Ginnus!" Ace ordered.

The possessed Long Neck fired a bubble from his mouth for an answer which Ace narrowly dodged.

"You guys wouldn't dare hurt the body of your friend. I can hold you guys off while being completely safe. Dusk, Menta, Ceit, Coaley, and Ali, thank you for a wonderful time. Now let me thank you. Run!"

Dusk and the others didn't have to be told twice. They quickly ran off and forded the river. Littlefoot's group started to chase after them, but the Long Neck got in the way.

"Not so fast!" After Dusk's group had completely gotten across, Ginnus turned to the river and the water started to churn. It erupted out of the ground as a wave and knocked into the kids. They were all washed back, and some of them banged into a tree.

Ace quickly laid a Slumber Trap and shouted to Spike, "Knock him onto it!"

Spike ran to the opposite side of Ginnus and kept knocking him back, bit by bit. Just as he was about to knock Ginnus onto the trap, his body turned to water and Spike slipped right through, landing on the trap himself. He immediately fell into a deep sleep.

"Ugh," Ace moaned.

Ginnus blew a bubble, which floated towards Ace. He moved out of the way, but the bubble quickly followed him. Ace wasn't expecting the bubble to change direction, so he noticed too late that it was upon him. His head was suddenly covered with it, and though he banged his head on the ground over and over, it wouldn't break.

"Uh oh. Maybe that move was going too far. I can't destroy a bubble once I make one," Ginnus thought worriedly.

Ace was running out of air so started gasping.

"Quick, only something sharp can break it!" Ginnus shouted.

Cera wasted no time and ran over to Ace. She lowered her head then jutted it forward with all her strength. Her horn broke through the bubble, and Ace started coughing. Ginnus was terrified at having nearly killed his old friend and exited Littlefoot's body.

"Ace, I'm sorr-"

"Just go!" Ace ordered, and the spirit of Ginuus drifted away in sadness to return to guarding the forest. Turning to Cera, his voiced softened. "Thank you for saving me."

"You're welcome," she replied with a grin. "I kept my promise," she added quietly.

"Hm?"

"Oh, nothing!"

"Okay, let's get back on Dusk's trail. They can't have gone far," Ace told the group. Ducky tapped Spike who then woke up, then she hopped onto his back for a ride.

"I'll enlarge Petrie again so we can search from the air," Cera suggested.

"Good thinking," Ace complimented.

"Grow!" And with that, everyone piled back on Petrie as he took to the skies. However, searching from the air was actually the worst choice they could have made…


	16. Chapter XV

**Chapter XV: Escape to a Reunion**

In which Dusk's group escapes a dangerous tunnel, and there is an unexpected meeting.

"Dusk, give my your hand. I'll pull you out," Menta offered.

Dusk reached up, then suddenly dropped his arm. "Wait. I have a better idea. This hole I fell into doesn't really seem like a hole at all. I can feel a breeze coming from farther in. This is a tunnel, a perfect way to move around without being spotted."

"But, ma lord, it is unlikely that we'll find any Rainbow Faces down there to coerce," Ceit pointed out.

"True, both those kids are too close to us. This way, we can move for a while without risking bumping into them again. By the time we reach the other end, I'm sure they'll be quite a distance between us. Now come on, you guys."

Ceit flew down the hole and the others jumped in after him.

"It's so dark down here. I can barely see where I'm going," Agu moaned.

"We don't have to see, silly," Coaley explained to him. "We can just use the wall to guide us."

"Oh, right," he replied, blushing, and the others laughed.

Ceit landed on Dusk's shoulder and rode along. All of them walked without so much of a word. Finally, Coaley broke the silence.

"Ow!" she cried, falling over.

"What is it, Coaley?" Dusk asked.

"I think I just hit a rock. Ow! It hurts to stand up."

"It seems she injured her ankle. Menta, would you use your power and reverse the wound?" Dusk asked.

"I'm sorry, my lord. I have to be able to see the thing I'm reversing."

"Oh well, it can't be helped. Here, Coaley, hop onto my back." It took a little while, but the two Sharpteeth finally found each other in the darkness, and Coaley placed herself onto his back. As the group started to move forward once more, they felt a small rumbling. It lasted only a few seconds then stopped.

"An earthshake?" Ali asked.

"I hope not," Dusk replied. "We'll be trapped if this tunnel closes in on us." As soon as those words left his lips, the ground shook again, slightly more so than earlier. Coaley clutched Dusk tighter. Suddenly, Dusk felt something soft bump into his leg. He jumped back against the wall, having forgotten that Coaley was on him.

"Ah!"

"Sorry, Coaley. Something just touched me."

"Am sorreh, ma boy. Din't notus ya."

"Who said that?" Dusk asked.

"Name's Enganar, en judgin' by what I bumped inta, ah reckon you'll see meh if ya look dan."

Dusk instinctively did so, momentarily forgetting it was pitch black in there.

"Sorry, it's too dark to see anything."

"Dok? What's that?"

"You," Agu began, starting to laugh, "don't know what dark means?"

"Is this dokness thingamajig somethin' ya see?"

"Why- yes," Dusk replied, taken back by the question.

"Ah see," he replied, then started laughing at his own joke. "It's nuh wunda ah hadn't heard oh it. Am blind."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry to hear about that, sir," Dusk replied.

"Dun't beh. Us Hole Diggas er bern blind."

"Hole Digger? So you're a beast?" Menta questioned.

"An' proud oh it! Anehwho, what brings ya dan 'ere?"

"We're- just trying to travel without being seen. Some others are after us," Dusk explained.

"I wun't ask, as it ain't meh business. What ah can do though is, lead ya out."

"Why, does the tunnel split off into multiple directions?" Dusk asked.

"Yeppers. The thing is, thars at least a small openin' at each end, so ya can't judge the way at bah the breeze."

"Thank you for telling us this and for your offer. We'll follow you. Just say something whenever you make a turn."

"Ah will indeed."

xxxxx

"We've been looking all over. Where could they have gone?" Cera asked angrily.

"This is getting to me too. They aren't near anything with water, since Littlefoot can't spot them anywhere," Ace said. "I say we land and take a break. Littlefoot can check periodically to see if he can find them."

Petrie began descending and finally hit the ground. Everyone dismounted, then he returned to his normal size.

"Why not play a game?" Ducky suggested.

"How can you think of playing at a time like this? We should conserve our energy for when we catch up with Dusk," Ace replied.

"Aw, don't be such a wet tree star," Cera joked. "We've been working so hard that we could really use a little fun."

"Do as you all please. I'm taking a nap."

The rest of them gathered some rocks and made two goals. Chomper scanned the area and located a pine cone.

"Found our ball!" he shouted happily.

The kids then divided themselves up into teams. Littlefoot, Petrie, Spike, and Ducky on one (they counted Ducky and Petrie as half a player each) and Cera, Chomper, and Ruby on the other.

Cera was just about to kick the pine cone when Ducky shouted, "Wait!"

"What is it?" Cera asked.

"Um, just curious. Are we allowed to use our powers for this?"

"It would probably be fun to use them, so using them should be fun," Ruby noted.

"Fine," Cera replied. "Let's just get started already." She ran over to kick the ball, but it suddenly began to move, seemingly on its own. "What the-?" Then a familiar giggling made her grin. Invisible Ducky had made the first move.

As the ball rolled towards Cera's side, a dinosaur sped up and took control of the ball.

"Nice going, Chomper!" Cera called. The little Sharptooth was kicking the ball down the field when Littlefoot closed in.

"Fire, blaze within my soul!" The small flash distracted Chomper just enough for Littlefoot to get the pine cone, and he started moving it to the opposite side. As he came along, Spike stood in his path. Littlefoot was about side step beside him when Cera shouted, "Grow!" Spike became much bigger, and his new width threw Littlefoot off who suddenly stopped.

Spike tail-whipped the pine cone which flew down the field.

"Me got it! Me got it!" Petrie exclaimed, trying to stop the ball in midair. Unfortunately, the pine cone had been kicked with such force that instead of being stopped, it knocked into Petrie hard, causing him to plummet to the ground. Chomper sped over and caught him.

"Ugh. Thank you."

Chomper grinned. "You're welcome."

Cera ran for the ball hoping to regain control when it suddenly seemed to start rolling away on its own again.

"Grrr. Ducky's power is so unfair," Cera grumbled. Then she suddenly had an idea. "Grow!" The pine cone more than tripled in size, causing it to stop short. "Hee. Let's see little Ducky move a ball that size."

Ruby was nearest and gained control of the ball. "My power is useful, but there is nothing to use it on for this," she thought sadly. Still, with her long legs and sleek body, she practically glided down the field.

Littlefoot made a run towards her and tried kicking the ball away, but Ruby retained possession of it. He then had an idea. He emitted a stream of fire a few yards ahead of Ruby. The blazing flames made her gasp and come to a halt. He took the moment of opportunity and kicked the ball away. Cera wasn't going to make it easy for him though.

"Shrink!" Suddenly, Littlefoot was less than half his original size. That wasn't going to get him down though. His entire body combusted, giving him a short burst of speed. It was enough to gain a lot of ground, and he got the ball past the other team's goal.

"We scored!" Littlefoot exclaimed.

Ace was not awakened by the noise, but something else took his sleep away from him. Coughing, he quickly got to his feet. Seeing the flames made him freeze in fear, but Cera ran over and stomped the fire out.

"How did that start?" he demanded.

"That was all me!" Littlefoot shouted. "It was the perfect way to get the ball from Ruby. Oh yeah!"

Ace immediately got in his face. "You fool! You could have set this entire area ablaze and dinosaurs and beasts might have gotten hurt. Don't you think before you act!"

"Wait a minute. I understand now," Cera interrupted. "Littlefoot gets a new personality when he changes, and I think I just figured out his fire one. Just like when he quickly attacked that dragon at Rey's castle without considering that he'd get hurt from the fall. While his water form is lazy and doesn't like to do much, his fire form makes him hyper and full of energy, so much so that he doesn't think things through." Then she grinned at having been the first one to figure that out.

"That is not good, oh no no no no no," Ducky said.

"When he lost his dark form, I thought he'd no longer be a danger to us. Now I see that his fire form is pretty much just as liable. It looks like we'll always have to be on the lookout for trouble," Ruby noted.

"This is ridiculous," Ace griped. "He doesn't like to work as water, and he causes trouble as fire. He's a burden to the group."

Littlefoot lowered his head then changed back.

"Um, why are you so close to me, Ace?" Littlefoot asked, having no recollection of what was said while transformed.

"Just- forget it. We've wasted enough time here. Let's go."

Cera turned to Petrie and said, "Grow!" Everything then got on his back and they took to the skies yet again, still having no idea that they'll never spot Dusk from above…

xxxxx

"Weh 'ere," Enganar announced.

"We're at the exit?" Dusk asked in surprise. "I don't see any opening."

"Rightcha are. Ah lied. Now preparr to beh dinnuh!"

"What the-!" Dusk cried as the ground started to tremble. Though the group couldn't see anything, dozens of Hole Diggers were piling into the room. They started nibbling on the dinosaurs' feet, and none of them could see to defend themselves. Dusk slashed at the ground but only managed to cut into Ali's leg.

"Ah!" she yelped in pain.

As bites were taken out of their feet, blood started to cover the floor. Even in excruciating pain though, Dusk hadn't given up.

"I just hope no debris falls on us," he thought desperately. He focused his energy into a ball and flung it in an arch at the ceiling. There was an explosion, and light began pouring into the room. Several parts of the ceiling started falling in but fortunately missed all of the dinosaurs. As daylight shone onto the creatures below, the Hole Diggers started to scatter, running deeper into the tunnel to get away from it.

They were all yelping things like, "Ah, it burns!" "My skin!" "Get the heat away!"

Dusk saw some blades of grass hanging over the hole and said, "Ceit, see that grass overhead? Mind getting us out of here?"

It wasn't long before six pieces of grass lay across the floor of the tunnel, and six dinosaurs stood on the ground above. The bleeding from their feet was turning the patch of plants a deep crimson, and Coaley, Agu, and Ali were crying from being in so much pain.

"Don't worry, kids. I'll fix us all up in no time," Menta assured them.

"What about your cool down? Surely you won't be able to heal us all," Dusk whispered.

Menta smiled in response. "I can reverse time on several things at once if they are connected some how. Everyone, hold hands. Of course you needn't, Ceit, being as you escaped the biting from Dusk's shoulder."

Menta picked up Coaley's hand, and she grabbed Agu's and he rested a hand on Ali's back. Dusk came over and lifted up Menta's free hand. "Rewind!" In seconds, all of the holes on their feet were completely closed up, and Coaley's hurt ankle was all better.

"That was some quick thinking, Dusk," Ceit complimented. "We're fortunate that their weakness is light."

"Indeed. Well, let's just hope all the noise hasn't alerted out pursuers. Let's take a little break from the excitement and rest here for a little bit." With that, everyone sat down, save Coaley.

"Dusky, um, may I go look for a snack? I'm really hungry."

"Only if one of us goes with you," he replied. "There's no way you're going off on your own."

Menta stood back up. "I'll go with Coaley."

Dusk turned to her with a look of concern. "You just cast a massive time spell. You must be tired. I don't mind going. You get some rest."

"No, my lord. You saved us all, so you deserve the rest more than anyone. I'm not that worn out from my spell. You just lay back and let me handle this."

"Very well. Just be safe."

"We will!" Coaley assured him. Then the two Sharpteeth took of through the trees.

xxxxx

A low rumbling was suddenly heard. Everyone, except Petrie who had to keep his eyes ahead of him and Cera who had to keep eye contact with Petrie, turned to Chomper who grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry about that. I could really go for some food." The kids all laughed but Ace, who didn't find anything funny about the situation.

"Want me to land so you can get a snack?" Petrie asked.

"Yes, please."

Petrie began to descend and finally hit solid ground. Everyone hopped off and Chomper started to run away.

"Wait!" Ace called out, and Chomper stopped.

"It's too dangerous to hunt alone, especially when you're so young. One of us needs to accompany you."

"Me can go," Petrie offered. "My summoning spell has cooled off, so me can call forth a beast if we run into any trouble."

"Alright. Just be careful," Ace told them. With that, Chomper and Petrie took off into the distance.

A tiny, furry beast with buckteeth and a long, stiff tail pointing up scurried by, holding a branch in his paws with several berries growing out of it. The dinosaurs rushed towards the little guy, trying to grab him. Suddenly, he vanished, only to appear atop a high branch. Two of his pursuers, each coming from opposite sides, ran into each other, bumping their heads hard as they fell to their rears. Chomper immediately started rubbing his noggin, then looked up only for his mouth to drop open. The one he had bumped into finally broke the silence.

"Hiya, Chomper. It's nice to see you again," Coaley said, turning red.

"Yeah. You too," was all he could think of to say in response.


	17. Chapter XVI

Author's note: A apologize for the lateness of this update. I said at the beginning of chapter one that I would update once every three days, but I ran into a little problem. My computer got a virus that kept me from opening any files, so I couldn't get to my story. It was in for repairs for about a week. I just got my computer back today, and I'm finally providing the update. Thank you for your patience.

**Chapter XVI: A Change of Loyalty as a Wish Draws Nigh**

In which the two groups become equivalent in number, and Dusk prepares to get his heart's content.

"Coaley, get away from him!" Menta shouted.

"Move away, Chomper!" Petrie called out.

"It's alright," Coaley and Chomper replied in unison, which made Coaley giggle.

"He's a friend of mine," Coaley explained.

"Yeah," Chomper agreed.

"Me no care if she friend!" Petrie said indignantly. "She with Dusk, so she bad!"

He raised a wing to summon a beast when Menta yelled, "Stop!" and Petrie was frozen in the air.

Chomper turned in dismay, but Menta explained, "My power isn't hurting him. He just can't move."

Chomper's eyes narrowed in thought. "Dusk once said that I'm welcome to go with you guys. Does the offer still stand?"

"You wanna join us! You bet!" Coaley exclaimed, giving him a big hug.

"Dusk did extend such an invitation. I therefore can't turn you down, but to suddenly switch sides like this, well, I'm going to keep my eyes on you," Menta warned suspiciously.

"I understand," Chomper replied.

"Let's get out of here quickly before my time freezing spell wears off." With that, the three Sharpteeth ran off into the distance.

"Come for-" but Petrie suddenly stopped his summoning when he realized that he was alone. "Ch-chomper? Where you go?" he asked nervously, looking all around him. There was no reply. "Me gotta tell friends about this!" he cried, quickly starting to fly away. "Wait, did we come from this direction, or- Oh, phooey. Now me lost."

Several minutes later, a tired Petrie came huffing back to his friends.

"Where's Chomper?" Littlefoot immediately asked.

"He- he-"

"Spit it out already!" Cera demanded.

"Gone."

"Explain," Ace ordered.

"We bumped into two members of Dusk's group. Me just about to summon a beast when they vanished, Chomper as well. Me have no idea where they went."

"They've kidnapped Chomper! When I get my hands on them, my hands will teach them a lesson," Ruby said angrily.

"Dusk has gone too far this time!" Littlefoot exclaimed.

"Let's all try and calm down. Getting riled won't bring him back. See if they're near any source of water, then we'll go from there," Ace suggested.

Littlefoot donned his water form right away and focused hard. "They're- not near any- sources of water. I'm sorry." He then changed back to normal. "Did I spot where they were with my power?"

"No, but you still provided me with the answer."

"Uh, come again?"

"The only place anywhere around here with almost no plants or zero water spots is the Deranged Desert. That must be where they are."

"What is the Deranged Desert?" Ducky asked.

"The excruciating heat combined with the magic in the air often makes those who traverse it deranged, hence the name," Ace explained.

"Um…" Ducky continued.

"Ah, let me guess. You guys don't know what deranged means?"

The kids chuckled slightly in embarrassment, leading Ace to sigh.

"Deranged means illogical, irrational, you know, like not thinking clearly."

"Ohhh," the kids replied in unison.

"Well then, is it really safe for us to follow them there?" Cera wanted to know.

"I don't care how dangerous it is, because no matter how dangerous it is, I don't care if it means saving Chomper," Ruby exclaimed.

"I- I'm sorry. I wasn't suggesting we abandon him. I just wanted to know what we're up against," Cera apologized. "Like, is there anything we can do to keep from getting deranged?"

"Yes, there is," Ace replied promptly. "The answer lies in the form of our Long Neck friend."

"Huh?" he asked.

"If you keep us cooled off with your water power, we should be just fine."

"That is, if he can stay awake long enough," Cera muttered.

"Eh?"

"Your water form just wants to sleep all the time," she replied.

"Well, Spike can carry him on his back like before, and we could just wake him up from time to time," Ducky suggested.

"That's a good idea," Ace complimented. "Alright, let's move out. The Deranged Desert is this way."

xxxxx

"It's so hot," Agu complained. "Why do we have to go through this wasteland?"

"The ground is so hard that we won't leave any footprints," Dusk explained. "We need to get as far away from those kids as possible, and this way they can't track us."

"That's not how we've been able to follow you," Chomper explained. When the three of them had gotten back to Dusk, he had welcomed Chomper warmly, though he had suspicions like Menta had.

"Oh?" Dusk asked curiously. "How then have you all been able to find us time and again?"

"Back in our world, Cera had the ability to see anything near plants. On this world where we got our new power, Littlefoot gained the ability to see anything near or anything that had been near any source of water. So he can see you every time you pass by a water source like a lake or waterfall, and he can spot you when you go near plants, since they soak up water from the ground."

"That is very helpful information, Chomper. I'm truly glad you finally decided to join us. You're already a valuable asset." Dusk and Menta's doubts were starting to fade already.

"And I'm happy to be here."

"With that said, they still shouldn't be able to follow us," Ceit pointed out. "In a place this dry, I can't imagine many if any plants growing around here, and I certainly couldn't picture any ponds and such here either."

"Very true, Ceit," Dusk agreed.

The group suddenly came to a halt when the ground started to shake. It was only a mild tremor though, so no one lost their balance or panicked. When it stopped, they pressed onward. It wasn't long before the quake returned, only to stop again shortly afterwards. This happened two more times before Agu finally spoke up.

"Isn't all this shaking annoying you all out of your minds!"

"Well sure," Dusk answered, "but what will complaining do about a natural phenomenon? We just have to try and ignore it."

"How could anyone ignore the ground moving underneath their feet?"

"Do you want to be carried?" Coaley asked him.

"What good would that do! I would still feel the ground moving from someone's back."

"Don't snap at her like that," Menta scolded. "She was just concerned about you."

Agu sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just, this stupid heat combined with the annoying ground is making me cranky."

"It's okay," Coaley assured him.

"I hope this desert isn't too long," Chomper said. "We won't last very long here without water."

"My thoughts exactly, Chomper. If we didn't need to cross this area to put some distance between the two groups, I would never have come here. Let's take a little break," Dusk suggested. As Ceit was about to land, Dusk added, "But not you, Ceit."

"Very well. I'll scout out the area," Ceit replied, already knowing what Dusk was going to ask. Dusk grinned in response.

"Ah! The ground isn't so bad on the feet, but it's too hot for me to sit on," Coaley announced, quickly getting back to her feet.

"It's not that bad," Agu said, trying to sound tough. In all actuality though, his rear was really hurting from the hot ground too, he just wanted to seem stronger than Coaley.

Chomper also managed to tolerate the pain of sitting, so said, "Coaley, you're welcome to sit on my lap. No need to keep standing up after walking so long."

The little Sharptooth grinned and walked over. She kissed Chomper on the cheek, turning him red before she nestled herself on his lap. Dusk and Menta looked at the two little Sharpteeth then glanced at each other, exchanging grins. As they relaxed, Dusk decided to make conversation.

"So, Chomper, what ended up making you want to join us?"

"I'll bet it was to be with Coaley," Agu teased with a laugh, but he grew silent at a glare from Menta.

"I just know you have good intentions," came his reply. "I've been thinking a lot, and you must have a good reason for trying to get a wish granted. If you were bad, you wouldn't have saved me when we first met. I just want to help you guys so we can end this silly squabble between my friends and you all. I mean, I know there is some prophecy about your wish causing trouble, but I want to believe it's wrong."

Dusk's eyes suddenly widened. "I'm such a fool! Why didn't I realize this sooner? With Chomper here, we have enough to make my wish!" He then rubbed his hands together excitedly. "As soon as Ceit gets back, we can take care of it."

"Before I help you though, please tell me, what is your wish for?" Chomper inquired as the ground shook again.

"It's simple, really. My wish is for-" but Dusk was interrupted as a huge creature shot up from underground.

He had no legs or arms, just slithered along on his belly. His scales were a mix of light green and tan, and his fangs jutted out a ways from his mouth beneath his single eye. He dove for the dinosaurs, mouth ajar.

"Move it!" Dusk ordered, and the lot of them scattered. "That thing moving underground must have been what was causing those tremors," he thought to himself.

The beast eyed all of them, trying to decide on who to attack. Coaley's foot hit a small pebble on the ground, causing her to stumble. That made up his mind. He dove for her, and she let out a cry. Chomper dashed for her at an incredible speed, lifting her up and getting out of the way just in time.

Dusk formed a ball of energy and threw it at the beast. The explosion did so little to his scales that he didn't even draw blood.

"Take out his eye!" Menta shouted. "Stop!"

The beast froze in place as Dusk began conjuring a massive ball of energy. Suddenly, the beast broke free of Menta's spell, slamming his tail onto the ground which broke Dusk's hold on his energy. He dropped the ball, and the explosion sent him flying.

"Sorry!" Menta called out. "He's too massive to hold very long."

"Don't worry! I'm fine. Just do that once more and I'll be sure to get my energy blasted quick it enough."

"No good! Stop has a long cool down. I can slow him down though."

"That's fine. Ali, Fuse with me!"

Ali nodded and ran over. "Dusk, Fuse!" Ali's now-transparent body drifted into Dusk's and he began forming a new ball much faster and bigger than before.

The beast started slithering quickly at Dusk but Menta yelled, "Slow!"

Though the beast was now moving at a slower pace, he still easily caught up to Dusk. He was about to grab Dusk in his mouth when it suddenly seemed to the beast that his body was freezing cold. He shivered abruptly, making the ground shake slightly.

"Now's your chance, Dusk! Get him!" Agu called out.

Dusk finished a massive ball and threw it at the beasts eye. The beast quickly excreting a green ooze from his mouth which hit the ball, causing it to explode in mid air. He suddenly stopped feeling cold as Agu fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry. He's so big that I can't hold an illusion for very long on him."

Menta's slow spell had worn off so the creature quickly slithered over to a prey. This time, it was Chomper. Still holding Coaley, he ran as fast as he could. The beast fired more green ooze which landed on the ground, causing a sizzling sound as it ate through the hard terrain.

Dusk fired another massive ball which hit the beast's body, but still, it wasn't enough to do much damage. He quickly turned and fired more spit at Dusk before resuming his chase with Chomper. Dusk barely managed to dodge it in time.

"My energy just can't get through his scales!" Dusk shouted.

Chomper looked at where the ooze had landed and saw the hole in the ground it had made. This gave him an idea. He quickly changed direction and began running straight for the beast.

"Chomper, what're you-" Coaley began in a panic.

"Trust me," was all he said in reply.

He began shooting more ooze which Chomper easily avoided. Finally, he came right up to the beast and hopped on his back. The creature immediately fired more spit before realizing what would happen if it missed. Chomper jumped off, and the ooze splattered all over the beast's back. It quickly ate away at his scales, and he hissed in agony. He then dived down, entering the ground once more, having given up on his meal.

"Alright, Chomer!" Dusk complimented as Ali left him.

"My hero," Coaley said with a grin, kissing him once more.

Getting bashful, Chomper placed Coaley on the ground saying nothing but grinning from ear to ear. Suddenly, Menta fell to her knees, and Dusk rushed over.

"Menta? What's wrong?"

"Hello, my lord. Nice day, isn't it? Sure is hot though. I'm in heat alright. Get it? I'm in heat?" Then she burst out laughing at her own joke.

xxxxx

"Huh?" the child interrupted. "I don't get the humor. Does being in heat have a meaning other than being in a really warm place?"

His father froze. "Uh, about that… Well, you see, it's, um… Ask me in a few years, okay?"

"Sure, I guess."

His father hastily returned to the story to put his son's question behind them.

xxxxx

"What's wrong with her?" Coaley asked, worried.

Agu then stumbled over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You, good dinosaur, are not funny. I didn't laugh. Did anyone laugh? Nope. Only you did, meaning you aren't funny. Did I say that already? Oh well. Saying it twice must mean that I really meant it." Then Ago fell over as well.

"Whatever's wrong with Menta seems to be affecting Agu too," Chomper pointed out.

"Maybe they just need some rest," Dusk guessed. "I wonder where Ceit has gotten off to." Dusk looked all around and spotted a tiny gathering of plants. "I found some shade. I'll carry Menta over. Chomper, can you handle Agu?"

"Sure," he replied, lifting him up. Dusk hung Menta over his shoulder, and they all made for the foliage. Upon arriving, Chomper and Dusk set their friends down.

"So- thirsty," Agu moaned.

"Wait!" Chomper exclaimed. "I've seen prickly plants like these before. They have this liquid inside that's good to drink. Dusk, help me break some open."

Dusk obeyed, and soon they had gotten through to the juice. He poured some into Menta's mouth, and Chomper did so to Agu. Both of them coughed a little but managed to swallow.

"Just relax you two. We've been through a lot," Dusk said. Menta and Agu closed their eyes and quickly feel asleep.

Very soon, a shadow passed overhead. Dusk didn't notice it in time so was soon under attack from the creature. He snapped at Dusk's face, and Dusk was about slash into him when he noticed who it was.

"Ceit?" Dusk asked in disbelief.

"Food! Food!" Ceit chanted over and over and as he bit at Dusk.

Sighing, Dusk thought to himself, "Seems to have affected him as well." He grabbed his friend and held him down. "Chomper, pour some of that stuff into his mouth, would you?"

"Sure thing!"

Ceit sputtered a bit but finally swallowed the plant juice. He ceased his attack then landed on top of Menta before drifting off to sleep as well.

"The rest of us should refresh ourselves with some of this stuff too," Dusk suggested, and everyone drank a little of the plant juice.

Turning to the sleepers with a look of concern, Chomper asked, "Do you think they'll be okay?"

"Yes. They seem to be resting very peacefully," Dusk replied.

Those who were awake looked up at the starry sky and decided to get some rest for the night as well. The rest of them laid down a slight distance from each other except Coaley. She cuddled up against Chomper's chest, and he smiled.

"Oh, by the way, Dusk, there's something I've been wondering about," Chomper began.

"Go ahead."

"Well, back when you saved me from that flying tree, did you do it just in hopes that I'd join you?" To Chomper's surprise, due to his question being very serious, Dusk chuckled.

"Not everything I do has a hidden agenda, Chomper. I saved you for a very simple reason: I care about my kind. Now, let's all try and get some rest." Before closing his eyes, Dusk added, "And as soon as we all wake up tomorrow, I'll finally get my wish."


	18. Chapter XVII

**Chapter XVII: The Failed Prophecy**

In which Dusk succeeds.

Littlefoot was the first one to wake up and greeted the morning with a long yawn. Then Ace awoke, followed by the others. Cera tried standing up but stopped and groaned.

"Ugh. I'm still all sore from fighting that creature last night."

"That's understandable," Ace commented. "Acid Crawlers are a force to be reckoned with."

"I am just glad that no one got hurt, yep yep yep," Ducky chimed in.

"Me wish we had some water," Petrie said.

"You won't find any way out here, but you may spot some prickle drinkers if you fly up high," Ace replied.

"Prickle drinkers?" Petrie asked.

"There is a plant out here that can survive without water, getting its nutrients solely from the magic in the air itself. Inside of them is a sweet, nutritious liquid."

"Okay! Me start looking right away," he called as he took to the skies.

"When he finds some, or if he returns without having done so, we move out."

"Aw. I wish Petrie could carry us around like before," Cera complained.

"Like I said when we first arrived in the desert, the air is too thick and muggy. Flying is extremely difficult, and Petrie would tire very quickly with passengers. No one else seems to be that badly off. Are you really in that much pain?" Ace inquired.

"That battle was just a little too much for me. I'm sorry, okay?" Cera retorted.

Ace walked over to her. "Where do you ache?"

"My back, but what difference does it ma-" but she stopped when Ace reared up on his hind legs and rested his front ones on her back. He began rubbing her back gently, curling up his toes repeatedly.

"Ah. That feels great. Thank you." Ace kept it up for a few minutes then stopped. "That was very nice of you. I feel a lot better now," Cera told him. Her face was red, and it wasn't from the heat.

"Don't get all mushy on me now. I just need everyone in top form so we can cover a lot of ground quickly."

Cera sighed and rolled her eyes. She wished that he would soften up, just a little.

"Hey! Me find some!" Petrie called down, but he was huffing hard. He started to land, but was so exhausted that he couldn't hold his wings out any longer. He suddenly came plummeting to the ground. Ruby was just below and held out her hands, catching him before he hit the ground.

"See what I mean about trying to fly in this atmosphere? Imagine what would have happened if we were riding on him," Ace told them. The kids shuddered.

"Thank you, Ruby."

"Thank you for the thank you, Petrie."

"Enough dawdling. Petrie, guide us to where you saw them, and Littlefoot, make sure to keep us cooled off."

"Okay," both of them said.

As the children walked along, Littlefoot occasionally shot water into the air which showered down on them, and Cera couldn't help but stare at Ace.

"He may act all tough, but I bet he's a real softie. That massage felt so good, and I didn't even ask for it. Being in top form indeed! I bet he likes me. In any case, I'd better do what I can to always be on his good side," she thought to herself.

"How much farther is it, Petrie?" Littlefoot asked.

"Not much. Although, me had seen something important that me wanted to tell you guys about. Me just wish me could remember what it is," he said in frustration.

The group started walking up an incline in the ground. It wasn't very steep, but it was high enough to partly block what was directly on the other side.

"Ooh! What was it! It was so important…"

Ace, who was leading the group, finally reached the top of the hill. As he took one more step, he vanished from sight.

"Ace!" Cera shouted.

"Oh, me remember now! There big hole on other side of this hill."

Cera sighed in frustration as everyone ran to the top and looked down. Ace lay at the bottom of a hole. Fortunately, it wasn't very deep.

"Ace!" Cera called down. "Are you alright?"

"Nearly. I hurt my ankle."

"Okay, I'll make Littlefoot bigger then he can lower his tail down to you," Cera announced. "Grow!" Littlefoot expanded to a much large size and did as Cera had suggested. Ace grabbed onto it with his mouth as Littlefoot cringed from the pain and pulled him up.

"Nice going, Petrie!" Cera exclaimed angrily.

"Me- sorry," he replied, cowering.

"Don't worry about it. What's done is done," Ace told them. "Unfortunately, my limp is going to slow us down."

"Don't worry, Ace. You can lean on me as we walk," Cera offered.

"Much obliged."

As Ace put pressure on Cera's side as they walked along, she couldn't help but feel jittery at how good it felt to be so close to him.

"Hey, look!" Petrie shouted. "We're here."

The seven of them stood before a small gathering of foliage.

"Nice going, Petrie!" Littlefoot complimented.

Ace hobbled over and dug one out with his horn. He then jabbed a hole into the side facing up and said, "Cera, let's have you drink first." Cera blushed and was about to say something nice when he added, "With supporting my weight, you must be the most tired."

She then sighed. "I'll get to him yet," she thought determinedly. "Mm, this is really good! It's like drinking a tree sweet."

Everyone took turns until the plant was sucked dry.

"Okay, we've all be refreshed. Let's continue. Ah!"

"Wait, Ace! We walked a good distance to get here so why not rest your foot in this shade? We may not find any good cover for a while, and it's so uncomfortable sitting on the hot ground," Cera stated.

Ace sighed. "Very well, but not for long."

"In the mean time, why not tell us a bit about yourself?" Cera asked curiously.

"Not much to say."

"Aw, come on."

"Very well. I used to live on Earth in a place called the Geyser Forest. It was a heavily-wooded, grassy place with water that erupted from the ground. My parents didn't like mingling with others families much, so we lived on our own. I was their only child. We were very happy living together, and life was good."

"Don't your parents miss you?" Littlefoot inquired.

"No, I'm sure that they don't."

"Come on," Cera pressed. "All parents would miss their kid being gone for so long. Have you ever thought of going back to our world to see them again?"

"No, and let's talk about something else."

"Aw, how can you honestly not want to see them again? Do they even know you're here?"

"I honestly don't want to go back and no, they don't know that I'm here. Now, let's talk about-"

"But it isn't right to keep making them worry like this. After we get the stone back, why not come back to our world with u-"

"My parents are dead, okay!" They don't know that I'm here because they're gone! Gone forever! Are you happy now?"

Cera cringed. Reina had mentioned that Ace was an orphan, but she had completely forgotten about it. She was trying to be nice by showing concern, but all she had done was make him angry.

"I'm so sorry. My mother is gone too. She got sick one day and never recovered, so I know what it's like to lose someone. If you don't want to talk about it anymore, I won't ask you about it."

Ace was silent for a while, and none of the other kids said a word. Surprisingly, it was Ace who broke the silence.

"Lightning set fire to the forest we lived in. We tried escaping, but we were closed in, burning trees lying all around us. My father scooped me up with his head and threw me over to safety. He urged me to run, but I tried staying with them. That is my biggest regret, my most horrible memory. I watched my parents get burned right down to their bones then barely managed to escape with my life."

xxxxx

"Hey, I bet that is why Ace froze when Littlefoot shot fire at him. It brought back the horrible memory of his family."

"That's right, son. When I read that a memory from his past had flooded into his brain several chapters ago, this is what it was about."

"Poor Ace," the child said quietly.

"Yes, what happened was unfortunate. The circle of life can be a wonderful thing, but at times can be very cruel." With that said, he went back to the story.

xxxxx

Dusk started to open his eyes slowly, then finished quickly, having remembered what was to happen this morning.

"The bright circle has risen," Dusk announced. "Everyone up."

The others yawned, stretched, then slowly sat up- that is, except for Agu.

"Not yet, mom. Just a little longer…"

Coaley giggled. "Wake up, silly. Your mom isn't here." And with that, she playfully poked him on the nose.

"Huh? Wha? Oh. Mornin', guys."

"This is it, everyone. It's the big moment. Time for my wish at long last to be granted."

"Oh, yeah!" Chomper said, finally remembering. "Speaking of that, what is your wish going to be?"

"After years of seeing my brethren fall from fighting for food, my wish will bring about a new age of peace and life. I am going to wish that Sharpteeth survive off of green food like Flatteeth. Think about it. No more risking lives just to get a meal. The world will flourish with no more fighting."

"Wow! What an awesome idea. I can't believe those Rainbow Faces actually though that something bad would come of this," Chomper commented.

"Thank you. Now, let's waste no more time. Everyone, gather around." The others gathered at him, forming a circle around him.

"When I hold up the stone, everyone say, 'I wish that Sharpteeth were made to live off of green food like Flatteeth.'"

Dusk then held up the stone, and everyone did so. The stone shone brightly and grew very hot. So much in fact that Dusk had to drop it. Rays of light shot out, some hitting the dinosaurs, while others flew through outer space. Suddenly, everyone but Ali felt an odd sensation in their mouths. Dusk reached his hand up and felt his teeth. They were flat!

"It was a success," Dusk announced, getting choked up. "Onward to a new era of dinosaurs!"

"Wait," Chomper said. "Will the Sharpteeth on our world realize why their teeth suddenly became flat?"

"I'm sure they will," Dusk replied. "I wished that our kind was made to live off of green food. So to all the Sharpteeth on our world, I'll bet that to them, it was like living off of green food was always normal. I'm assuming that the only reason we don't magically have that new instinct is because we were part of the wish that did it."

Dusk then reached down and grabbed a chunk of a prickle drinker. Putting it into his mouth, he started to chew, and everyone looked at him in apprehension. Swallowing, he said, "Delicious."

"So, um, now that you have your wish, you're going to give back the stone, right?" Chomper asked slowly.

Dusk took on an evil glint in his eyes. "Never. The power of the stone will forever be mine, and mine alone. Those Rainbow Faces will never get it back!"

Chomper jumped to his feet. "I can't believe you! The stone isn't yours. You can't keep it!"

Suddenly, much to Chomper's surprise, Dusk started chuckling. "Kidding, my boy, kidding. Of course they can have it back. Next time we run into those friends of yours, the stone'll be returned immediately.

"Oh. Uh, good," he replied, very embarrassed at his outburst.

"The thing is, they probably won't find us in this desert. Let's get out of here and find some water so your friend can use his power to find us."

"Okay!" Chomper exclaimed. He was overwhelmed with joy that everything turned out fine and no one had to get hurt.

xxxxx

Rey reached down to pick up his wine-filled chalice, but before his hand could complete its task, the cup cracked all on its own.

"That's an ill omen," Rey thought to himself gravely. "Something must have gone terribly wrong."


	19. Chapter XVIII

**Chapter XVIII: Death on Two Worlds**

In which the prophecy is understood.

"I see them," Littlefoot announced before yawning. "They're outside- of the desert- near a large pond."

"Are there a lot of plants growing out of it?" Ace inquired.

"Yep."

"I see. So they're at the Protruding Pond." The kids looked at Ace curiously who sighed, understanding. "Protruding means sticking out of. There are a lot of plants sticking out of this pond, hence its name."

The kids nodded in reply. Ace was started to wince from moving so much with an injured foot, so Cera ordered, "Stop."

"Ugh, what's the matter now? Why are we stopping?" Ace moaned.

Cera grinned deviously. "You're the problem. I can see the pain you're in. We're stopping so you can rest whether you like it or not."

Ace was so dumbfounded by her bluntness and determination that he couldn't find the words to argue. He promptly sat down. This time, it was Cera who gave the massage. She gently rubbed her two front feet on his ankle. Ace tried hiding how pleasurable that felt, but he couldn't hold back a smile.

"Thank you."

"Hee. Of course!"

"Littlefoot, have they left the Protruding Pond yet?"

"Surprisingly enough, nope. They're still- sitting around- waiting. It's almost like- they want to be- found."

"Odd… Oh! Maybe they're illusions trying to fool us again," Ace guessed.

"Good point. They did it before, so they could do it later too," Ruby cut in, hand on her chin.

"I guess we will found out when we get there, yep yep yep," Ducky added.

"Yeah, we don't- have a choice. There is no one- that looks like Dusk's group- anywhere near- another source of water," Littlefoot told them. Then he turned twice and laid down to take a nap.

A few minutes later, Ace arose. "I've had enough of a rest now. Let's head out and see what happens." Ace resumed using Cera for support, and the group finally got out of the desert. Littlefoot released his power, returning to normal as they continued towards the Protruding Pond. Little did the Leaf Eater group realize, they weren't the only group closing in on Dusk…

"There they are!" Littlefoot shouted. He and the others ran up to Dusk's group.

"Took you guys long enough," Dusk commented, slowly getting to his feet. "Here's the stone," he offered, handing it to Littlefoot.

"What kind if fools do you take us for!" Ace wanted to know. "This is clearly an illusion. You guys wouldn't hand over the stone just like that. You must have just made solid illusions this time, which is why there are shadows. Come on, guys. The real ones can't be too far away."

Dusk rolled his eyes. "Why must you kids always make my life so difficult? I can prove we're real. You all must understand how illusions work by now. They can operate with limited intelligence and can be directly controlled. Ask Chomper a question that only he would know. Sure, if we were illusions, the illusionist would hear the question, then could ask Chomper the answer, then relay it through his handiwork. However, that takes a bit of time to pull off. If Chomper here answers your question correctly immediately after being asked, you can know that we're real, okay?"

There was a temporary silence, then Ace finally said, "Okay, we accept your terms. Littlefoot, ask him something."

The Long Neck stepped forward, thinking of a question to present. Eventually, he asked, "When was the first time I ever called you 'buddy'?"

Chomper immediately replied, "Back on my island after you were scared by my mom."

"It's really them!" Littlefoot exclaimed, nuzzling against Chomper's head.

"And they're willing to just give up the stone…?" Ace wondered aloud. Then he realized something. With Chomper, Dusk's group was now of seven. "Does this mean, you made your wish?" The others froze.

"Yeah, but don't worry, Littlefoot. It turns out that his wish wasn't bad at all like we had thought. Look at my teeth," he said, giving a toothy grin.

"Dusk wished that Sharpteeth would have flat teeth?" Petrie asked in confusion. "Why he wish for something like that?"

"No, silly," Chomper said with a laugh. "His wish was that Sharpteeth would be built to live off of green food like Flatteeth. That way, there'd be no more fighting and deaths just to get food."

"Wow!" Littlefoot exclaimed. "That sounds great. If I'd only known what he'd wanted, I'd've helped him make that wish in the first place."

"Yeah, me too," Cera chimed in. "Why would Rey think that trouble would come of a wish like that? That kind of thing will actually stop a lot of it."

"Alright, well, we have the stone back so let's all just go back to the king's castle so you all can go home," Ace said.

Cera look dismayed. "But, Ace, aren't you coming back with us?"

"This world is my home now. I left Earth to turn my back on my horrible past."

"Ace," Cera said gently. "Don't think of going back as returning to the past, but instead, preparing for a future. There are no Three Horns here. You could never settle down if you stay."

"Is that your only argument?" Ace asked, not moved.

"No. I- I just don't want you to leave me. I want a future- with you. Please come home with me."

Ace was at a loss for words at first, but before he could reply, someone else spoke up nearby.

"Finally, we meet again," a familiar voice said. "This time, you won't be saved by a group of Drain Mice."

"The Red Dragon Tribe!" Dusk exclaimed. "Everyone, get ready to fight!"

Dusk's group posed for battle, but Littlefoot and the others didn't move.

"Come on, guys!" Chomper called out. "We can't let Dusk and his friends get hurt. He just did our world a huge favor, so let's fight by his side."

For a reply, Littlefoot shouted, "Water, flow with my mind!" He and his friends stood beside Dusk as an army of Red Dragons flew overhead.

"Step aside, friends of Rey," their leader ordered. "Our quarrel is not with you."

"Dusk and his companions are with us now!" Chomper replied defiantly. "If you fight them, you fight us too!"

"Very well. You have sealed your fate! Attack, my brethren! Feast on their flesh!"

The beasts shot flames from their mouths but Coaley yelled, "Negate Field!" A barrier surrounded the dinosaurs, blocking the fire. They finally landed and charged the group. The field finally faded, and Dusk started to form an energy ball. He threw it at the Red Dragons who all scattered and avoided the explosion.

Littlefoot fired a bubble from his mouth which enveloped one of their heads. He blew flames but they didn't dissolve the bubble. He then reach up, slashing at it.

"Uh oh," Littlefoot thought. "His sharp claws will…"

The bubble burst from being scraped by the dragon's claws, and he caught up to Littlefoot, slashing at him now. His hand went right through him, as Littlefoot's body had become like water itself. Two dragons were running single file at Menta, so she shouted "Stop!" The first one froze and the one behind him bumped into him, causing them to fall to the ground.

Agu closed his eyes and focused. He was cloaked in a puff of smoke, and when it lifted, he looked just like a Red Dragon. One of the beasts was coming right for Ali. Agu rushed at her too, but instead of striking her like her pursuer thought, he rammed into him hard. Unfortunately, Agu may look like a Red Dragon, but he certainly didn't have their body mass. He fell to the ground, and his illusion faded. Another dragon took a deep breath and was about to blow Ruby away. She quickly lifted up a stone on the ground, becoming like a rock herself. The flames didn't phase her at all, and she put her hands together and clobbered him on the head.

A dragon was chasing after Chomper, but he kept dodging the dragon's blasts. He quickly led the dragon to a tree, turning at the very last second, and the beast slammed right into it. Petrie raised his wing and shouted, "Come forth, Water Nymph!" A blue, fluid-like beast emerged. A Red Dragon shot flames at her, but she sidestepped the attack. Icicles shot from her hand, puncturing the dragon in numerous places.

Dusk released energy through his hand, hardening it into extensions for his claws. He slashed into a dragon's chest, but didn't notice the one coming up behind him. Dusk was hit head on with a flame attack, burning him severely. Spike rammed into the dragon that hit Dusk, knocking him down.

xxxxx

"One moment, sorry," the child interrupted. "I know that Dusk has used his power a lot, but I'm still just not fully sure what exactly he's doing."

"No need to apologize, son. I suppose that the story isn't as clear about that as it could be," his father replied. "Dusk can take the energy inside of himself and manipulate it outside of his body in various forms, like solidifying it into claw extensions or making an explosive bomb."

"Ah, I get it now. Okay, continue please."

xxxxx

"My lord!" Menta screamed, rushing over to him. "Rewind!" Shortly, Dusk was healed.

"Who should I Fuse with?" Ali wondered aloud.

"Fuse?" Cera asked back.

"Yeah. I can combine with someone to boost their power.

"Perfect. Fuse with me."

"Fuse, Cera!" she called out, and she became one with the Three Horn.

Another dragon came at Ace. He laid an Explosive Trap, but the dragon saw it and flew over it. With his hurt foot, he couldn't get away in time. The Red Dragon came forward, slashing down hard. He cut into Ace's throat, causing him to start gagging and coughing out blood.

"Nooooo!" Cera screamed in a rage. She raised a foot into the air so she could keep eye contact with herself, and yelled, "Grow!" With Ali empowering her body, Cera became enormous, standing even taller the trees. She looked down, still keeping her front foot in eye's view, and stomped on every last one of the Red Dragons. A pool of blood filled the area. Cera immediately released her power and ran to Ace's side.

"Menta, can you heal him?" Ceit asked.

"No good. I used my Rewind cool down on Dusk already."

Ace was gasping for breath as blood continued to squirt out.

"Cera…"

With tears streaming down her face, she replied, "Yes, Ace?"

"About your _cough_ offer of a future with _cough_ with you. I would- I would have _cough_ taken it. I'm sorry I- I can't come back with you now. But know that I _cough cough_ appreciate what you've done for _cough_ done for me, and- I- love you." As those words left Ace's lips, he closed his eyes and embraced death.

Continuing to sob, she buried her horn into the dirt and began to dig. One by one, the others understood and joined her. When the hole was big enough, Cera lone gently nudged him into it, and they helped pile soil back on top.

Everyone present lowered their heads in reverence. The dinosaurs stood in silence for a long time as Cera wept bitterly. Ruby eventually stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. Cera looked up, and Ruby held her close in a warm embrace. They stood there for a while as Cera started to compose herself. Finally, the Three Horn broke away and said, "Let's just go home. Petrie, think you can carry us all?"

"Me no think so. Sorry." Then he noticed the Water Nymph he still had out and ended the summoning.

"Actually, he should be able to. Ali is still inside of you, so you can make Petrie a lot bigger than before."

"That true," he replied.

"Okay then," Cera said. "Grow."

Petrie took on a gigantic size as everyone piled on as they returned to Rey's castle. During the entire flight, no one said a word, but Ruby continued to have a hand on Cera, and Littlefoot nuzzled against her as well. Cera noticed that she still had the bandage on her burnt foot and started to pull it off, as it wasn't hurting anymore. When they arrived, they were welcomed back by Rey warmly, and he and his wife heard each group's story in the dining room as they ate a meal, though Cera didn't touch her food.

"Chomper, dear, would you please come here a moment?" Reina asked him gently.

Chomper got out of his seat and walked over to her. Reina then preceded to lift an arm- then slapped him across the face.

"You idiot! You absolute fool! Do you realize what you've done! The seven of you could have saved your world, but now, thanks to you, you've doomed it to utter annihilation!"

Littlefoot quickly got up as well. "Don't hit him and talk to him like that!" he exclaimed.

"You defend him now, but perhaps you won't be so eager to when you learn what Dusk's wish has really done. The population of Earth has survived thanks to a balance of life. Flatteeth eat the plants, and Sharpteeth eat the leaf-eaters. Your world worked like that for a reason! If Shartpteeth didn't feast on other dinosaurs but instead ate green food as well, the world would become so overpopulated that the plants would eventually all be consumed, then everyone would starve to death. It's thanks to meat-eaters that your world has strived so well. The prophecy clearly stated that when a group from your world came to possess the stone, it would be used for a dark end. That foretelling wasn't a joke. With Dusk's wish, I fear the worst for the fate of your planet. When we teleport you all back home, there may be no one left."

"I get what you're saying about why we'd run out of food," Littlefoot began, "but I can't imagine everyone having already starved to death. We've not even been here three full days yet. A dinosaur can go a while with no food at all."

Rey took a deep breath. "There is something that my wife and I neglected to tell you. Time passes differently on various worlds. One day here is- three years for Earth."

"What!" Cera shouted, quickly getting to her feet. "You mean to tell us that our families haven't seen us in nearly nine years!"

"I'm afraid so. And with Dusk's wish, there may be no one left alive," Rey said gloomily.

"Take us home. Now!" Cera demanded.

"As you wish," Rey replied quietly.

He led them all down a flight of stairs into a large room. There were several tubes of colorful liquids sitting on shelves and many other strange looking devices. In one of the corners stood a tall machine with a large, clear platform in the center.

"Everyone in," Rey instructed. There was another Rainbow Face standing nearby, and Rey motioned for him to come over. "Take us to the Great Valley on Earth."

"Yes, your highness."

Everyone piled in, including Rey and Reina, and the Rainbow Face pressed a few buttons, flipped a few switches, then turned a few knobs. There was a flash of light, and suddenly, everyone was gone.

Fifteen dinosaurs appeared near the Thundering Falls. Such a thing would have shocked many, that is, if there was anyone around. There wasn't. Everyone looked around, and their mouths dropped open in horror. The entire valley was like a huge graveyard. There were bones everywhere.

"What have I done?" Dusk thought to himself.

"Grandma, grandpa!" Littlefoot shouted, running to his nest.

"Littlefoot, wait!" Rey called, trying to stop him.

The little Long Neck finally arrived at his family's spot. Two huge skeletons lay sprawled out, side by side.

"They were waiting for me," he thought dejectedly. Littlefoot couldn't fight back the tears.


	20. Chapter XIX

**Chapter XIX: Consumed by Darkness, Loved by Friends**

In which Littlefoot is involved in a horrible predicament.

"You guys are all welcome to live with us on our world," Rey offered.

No one said a word in reply.

"I understand how traumatic this must be for you all, and I can't claim that we'd make the best parents for you kids, but Reina and I will do everything in our power to give you all a good life. The teleporter operator is a psychic who keeps a telepathic link open between my wife and I while on another world. I'm going to contact him now, because I feel that the sooner we leave this world behind, the sooner we can all stop focusing on it and start focusing on the future," Rey told them.

Still, everyone was too upset to speak. A flash of light shone from above, and everyone appeared back in Rey's basement.

"I was going to ask you guys to finally let Ali go, but I think that suddenly learning the truth would be too painful for her now," Littlefoot told Dusk's group.

"What do you mean?" Ali asked.

"It's nothing. Forget it," he replied. With that, Littlefoot walked over and nuzzled against Ali's side then turned and began heading up the stairs, leaving her with a very perplexed look.

**Several months later…**

"Ah! I've done it!" a Rainbow Face declared. He ran up the stairs, seeking an audience with the king. Entering the throne room, he bowed and said, "Your highness, I have finally made the Stone of Cold Fire adaptable to other dinosaurs. It will no longer shrink adults to child form, they will all keep their original colors, and furthermore, those outsiders should regain their original powers while keeping the new ones they got."

"Excellent work," Rey complimented. "I'm only glad that our guests didn't keep losing and gaining new powers over all this time. After they lost their first powers, their bodies seem to have finally gotten used to it, so they stopped losing and getting new abilities after their second ones."

"Why is that good news?" the Rainbow Face asked.

"Well, if they had kept losing then getting new powers, fixing the stone this way would have given them every power they had ever had, and that could be disastrous. Too many powers and a body could stop working right. Two is already pushing it, but anymore might cause a problem. Okay, feel free to release the stone so its power fills the land once more."

"Yes, your highness."

xxxxx

Dusk lay comfortably on a warm beach. His body was stretched out and his eyes were closed as he rested peacefully. Suddenly, he was covered in water from a large splash. He quickly sat up, sputtering.

"Agu, one more time and I'll-"

"Sorry, my lord," Menta interrupted with a laugh. "That was me this time."

"Can't a dinosaur get any rest anymore?" Then he sighed and reclined on his side.

Everyone else was splashing in the water and laughing. After a few minutes, Dusk, Menta, and Ceit started to feel odd. Their bodies started trembling, and they felt sore all over.

"What is wrong with you guys?" Ducky asked in concern.

The two Sharpteeth and the Flying Sharptooth suddenly started getting bigger and bigger until they were back to their original size. All of them regained their original coloration as well.

"Whoa!" Coaley exclaimed.

"I- I'm finally back to my old self," Dusk stated, patting his body over. "What happened?"

"I can answer that," Rey replied, having appeared seconds before he had asked.

"The stone has been modified to adapt to other dinosaurs now. At first, it was only designed to effect Rainbow Faces, though it ended up being compatible with beasts as well. For other dinosaurs, it would alter the size of adults and change the coloration. Now, it will work the same way for everyone."

"Why go to the trouble of doing that?" Dusk asked. "Much as I like being my old self again, everything was fine before."

"The main reason was to return you adults to your original size," Rey replied. "I saw your change way back, so I knew that some of you were adults. My kind is planning several projects, like building more towns, clearing more roads, and planting more farms. With giants around, the work load would be a lot easier."

Dusk sighed and he hung his head. "Very well. It's the least we can do for your hospitality."

"Wait a minute," Cera said. "Dusk, seeing you in your adult form again, well, there's just something familiar about it."

"F-familiar? You must be mistaken," he replied.

"Maybe. Are you sure we've never run into you before that Stone of Cold Fire adventure?" Cera pressed.

"Hold on," Littlefoot cut in. "Cera was right about you being familiar. I remember you now. You're the Sharptooth who attacked my mother long ago! If it wasn't for you, my mother would still be around!" Tears of both anger and grief flooded his eyes.

"Wait, Littlefoot," Cera said. "That Sharptooth drowned, remember? We pushed him off that ledge into the water, and he never came back up."

"I know what happened, but there's no mistaking it. He's the one responsible for my mother's death. I'm sure of it!"

After ridding the Earth of life, destroying all their families, Dusk felt that he at least owed them the truth.

"Yes. I recognized you kids the moment I saw you way back. I am sorry about your mother, but back then, Sharpteeth had to survive, and meat was all that would sustain us."

"How is that possible?" Cera asked. "We thought you had drowned."

"He did drown," Menta cut in. "It plagues my dreams to this day. After he never returned from a hunt, I went out looking for him. I found him floating in a pool of water. I buried him under some trees, then suddenly, he came back to life. I was terrified at suddenly seeing him move again, but I quickly switched to feeling relieved."

"Was there a large earthquake some time before he died?" Rey questioned.

"Yes. There was an enormous one that split the land," she replied.

"That must have been when the stone first entered your world," Rey concluded. "The power of the stone is massive. When we first created it, we had to slowly let the energy out to stop there from being an outpour big enough to provoke a natural disaster. The atmosphere must have been horribly unstable when the stone first arrived in your world. It's anyone's guess what all could have happened. One of the effects of the distortion must have been bringing Dusk back to life. Did anyone else see anything unusual around the time of that earthquake?"

"I was guided to the Great Valley by the spirit of my mother," Littlefoot told them.

"I see. So the massive release of magic allowed Dusk to return to life and Littlefoot's mother to exist in spirit form. Incredible," Rey marveled.

Littlefoot, head down, approached Dusk. "I'll never forgive you for what you did to my mother."

"I understand how you must feel," he replied, looking down at him.

"No, you don't. You have no idea how I feel!" With that, Littlefoot ran off into the distance.

xxxxx

"Hey, daddy, I just realized something. You remember how in part one of this story, when Dusk first saw the kids, how he started acting all nervous? It's been bugging me for a while. I've really wanted to know why he had acted like that, and you read it so long ago that I was afraid it would never be explained. Well, this part finally explained it."

"You got that right. I'm pretty sure that this story leaves nothing to question but explains everything that gets left unanswered at first. At least, I haven't noticed any plot holes. If you notice any, I'd be curious to hear them."

"Alrighty, you got it. Feel free to go ahead now."

xxxxx

Chomper started to run after him, but Cera got in the way. "He just needs some time. You'll only make things worse if you chase after him now."

"Okay."

"I've been thinking," Cera went on. "You guys remember Doc, the lone dinosaur? Well, I bet that the reason he's alive after all this time was that he came back to life from the stone's power too. It makes perfect sense."

"That good idea is a really good idea," Ruby complimented.

Suddenly, Rey had a troubling thought. "Oh no! I just realized. We need to find Littlefoot and fast. He may get hurt."

"What you mean?" Petrie asked.

"I completely forgot that Littlefoot has gotten two sets of abilities each time the stone has empowered him, so now he has four."

"Yeah, so? Having all of our powers at once is awesome," Cera stated.

"You don't understand. A body can handle one power just fine. Two, eh, it's a bit much, but the body can still handle it. Right now though, Littlefoot has four powers coursing through him. His body might have a terrible reaction to the overload any minute. We have to find him right away!"

Everyone, including Dusk, quickly hurried off to find Littlefoot.

xxxxx

"I can't believe I've come face to face with the one responsible for mother's death. Grrr, if he wasn't so big now I'd show him a thing or two." Littlefoot looked up the sky in contemplation. "I'm sorry, mother. I just can't avenge you." He then plopped down onto the ground and lied on his back.

As he reclined looking up at the clouds, he couldn't help but notice one that looked like a Long Neck. It drifted along through the sky. Then he saw another one, this one appearing like a Sharptooth. The two clouds came closer and closer and eventually merged. The end result still looked like a Sharptooth, only bigger. Littlefoot groaned at how that reminded him of his past and sat up.

"What would mother want me to do right now?" he wondered aloud. Then he remembered something of long ago.

Flash Back

"Look, mother, look! He's so cute!" Littlefoot exclaimed, gazing down at a buzzer on a flower.

"Careful, little one. They sting."

"Aw, don't worry. I'd never do anything to make him want to do that."

The buzzer finally flew up and started to leave. Littlefoot followed him as he came to land on yet another flower. He lowered his head to eye level with the plant and gazed at the insect curiously. Part of the flower broke off from the wind, and it went up his nose. He sneezed twice and the blasts shook the flower back and forth. The buzzer angrily took off and landed yet again- on Littlefoot's nose. He tried holding very still, but his nose had one sneeze left to get out. With a loud _achoo_ the buzzer frantically stuck his stinger down, and the Long Neck yelped in pain. The buzzer took off and left the boy alone.

"Mother! It hurts."

"Aw, there, there, my little one." His mother lifted him up and set him on her back.

"I hate that buzzer."

"Oh, you shouldn't hate him. He only thought you meant him harm."

"I don't care what he thought. He stung me, and it's really painful!"

"It's never good to harbor bitterness in your heart, dear Littlefoot. When someone hurts you in any way, the right thing to do is to forgive and forget. Staying angry only makes you miserable."

"Well, if you say so. I guess I forgive him."

"That's my boy. Oh, look. This tree has some lovely tree stars growing from it."

End of Flash Back

"Maybe- maybe I should forgive Dusk. It happened so long ago, and that's probably what mother would want." He then got to his feet. "I've decided. I'm going to stop being mad at Dusk and forgive him." With that, he started to head back to where the other were. Suddenly, he began to feel very strange. "What- what's happening to- me?"

His body started changing all on its own. He took on his fire form, then his water one, then light, then darkness, then back to fire. His powers were out of control, and he couldn't stop transforming.

"Littlefoot!" Chomper screamed as everyone caught up to the Long Neck.

"Guys! Help- me!"

"Rey, what do we do!" Cera asked frantically.

"We need to get him back to my castle and put him in a dungeon cell to block his power. I can figure out the next step from there."

"Coaley, can you Negate his power for now?" Dusk asked.

"I'll try. Negate!" she called, holding out her hands. Littlefoot stopped transforming for about two seconds, then his form changed again. The force of his changes knocked Coaley on her rear.

"Ow," she moaned.

"I'll carry him back," Dusk offered. He stooped down to pick Littlefoot up, but suddenly, there was a black flash of light and he stopped changing. He ended up in his dark form.

"Littlefoot?" Chomper began. "Are you- okay?"

"Oh, I feel- marvelous. My dark powers have been fully realized. Who will fight me?" he challenged.

"Oh, great. Figures he'd get stuck in his dark form. All it cares about is violence," Cera said with a sigh.

"No one will fight me, eh? Fine. Then I'll give you a reason to come at me." Littlefoot glowed and he took off quickly towards Rey's castle. Chomper's speed ability made him faster, so he took off after him.

"Littlefoot, what are you doing?" Chomper asked him.

In reply, Littlefoot opened his mouth and a dark beam shot out. It hit the ground right in front of Chomper, and the explosion sent him hurdling through the air. Littlefoot laughed deviously and continued to Rey's castle.

Chomper got up and put a hand on his head. "Ughhh. That hurt." He turned to see Rey and others appear beside him.

"Are you injured?" Rey asked.

"I'm okay."

"Good. Now let's get to Littlefoot before he does something he'll regret." Tapping everyone present, he called out, "Transport!"

In less than a minute, everyone was back at the castle. Being so large, Dusk and Menta waited outside. Ceit probably could have squeezed through the doors, but decided not to bother and waited with his friends outside as well.

Rey opened the doors, and everyone's mouth dropped open. Guards lay scattered about the hallway, dead. Blood was everywhere. Suddenly, they all heard a loud groaning and rushed to the throne room. Reina was lying on the floor.

"Reina!" Rey exclaimed, rushing to her side.

"Don't worry about me. He had to keep me alive so I could give you the message. Littlefoot took the stone, and he said that if we don't find him and fight him for it, he's going to destroy it. Furthermore, as we look for him, he's going to be practicing his fighting prowess on anyone he comes across, be they beast or Rainbow Face."

"I hope that we can catch up to him before he hurts anyone else," Cera said. "And about destroying the stone, you guys can just make another one, right? Oh, and also, won't he just run out of power and pass out like he did before?"

"It's not that simple. There is so much power condensed into that stone that, were it to be destroyed, the explosion would be big enough to destroy the entire planet," Rey explained. "About him running out of power, that is a definite no. I'm sure his body has long grown used to his power, so his magical reserves are endless. Furthermore, possessed by an evil power or not, Littlefoot has murdered several Rainbow Faces and has threatened to continue. The law of this world is that, death is punished by death. I hereby declare Littlefoot a menace to this world that must be stopped at all costs."

"Now wait just a minute!" Chomper cut in. "Littlefoot is my best friend. He would never hurt anyone if he was in his right mind. You can't punish him for what the stone's power is making him do."

"I'm sorry, but the law is the law. When my remaining guards and I find him, he will be put down."

"Then we'll just have to find him before he's found by you!" Ruby said defiantly.

Rey sighed. "And then what will you do? Live your entire lives as fugitives, being shunned by everyone else? Don't throw away your lives for one dinosaur."

"Sorry, Rey, but that's just the kind of friends we are. Come on, guys," Cera told the others as they left the castle. The kids told Dusk, Menta, and Ceit what had happened, and to their surprise, they agreed to help find him.

"I will use my Mind Seek ability to guide us to him," Menta offered.

"Perfect," Cera replied.

Half of the land walkers got on Dusk's shoulders, and the rest boarded Menta. She focused for a moment then started to head for Littlefoot- and a terrifying encounter indeed.


	21. Side Story

**Side Story: The Origin of Dusk's Group**

In which it is learned how Dusk came to meet his companions.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," a female Sharptooth said, gently shoving the one sleeping beside her.

"Ugh. Not now," he replied, turning over onto his side.

The female grinned. She wasn't giving up that easily. She bent over him, hands extended, and started tickling his belly.

"Ha ha ha! Fine, you win." He sat up and stretched, yawning loudly.

She suddenly hugged him tight, starting to tear.

"Hey now, what's this about?"

"I'm sorry, it's just, I'm so happy you're alive again. When I found you dead, I just wanted to fall over and die myself."

"Really, Menta, you cling to me too much. When I die, if it happens before you, I want you to find the strength inside to press on for the both of us. Dying as well wouldn't be doing either of us any favors."

"Dusk, my brother, we're all that's left of our herd. If I lose you, then I'll be alone with no reason left to carry on."

"Come on. You're a pretty Sharptooth. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for you to find a nice, strong male to start a family with. Now enough talk of this. I'm going to get us some breakfast." With that, Dusk arose and walked off into the distance.

"That sister of mine… When will she realize that life doesn't revolve around me? Hm, what's this?" he asked to himself as he saw a Flying Sharptooth nestled in a tall tree. He snuck up quietly, making no noise, then snatched him right out of it.

"Ack!" he screamed, flapping hard trying to get away.

"It's no use," Dusk said aloud.

"Please, don't eat me! I'll do anything!" he screamed.

"That's odd. I've never met a Flying Sharptooth that could speak for a land walking one to understand. They usually just know squawks."

"I've been around and picked up on your dialect," he replied. "Now please, find someone else to devour."

"Do you have a wife and/or kids?" Dusk questioned.

"Much as that information may save me, no, I am alone."

"Impressive. You're an honest one. Even knowing I might let you go if you have family, you made it clear that you did not. I wouldn't think of harming such a noble creature. I'll be on my way now."

"Wait!" the Flying Sharptooth called.

"Mm?"

"I must repay you for sparing me. Let me come with you, and I'll help until you feel we're even. I have nothing else to do anyway."

"What could you possibly do for me?" Dusk wanted to know.

"I can scout out prey over a great distance and report back to you. That would greatly reduce hunting time."

"Very well. I will accept your service to me. Now if you don't mind, you can start right away."

"As you wish," the Flying Sharptooth replied. Before he took off though, he added, "I'm called Ceit."

"Dusk."

With that, Ceit flew off. In a matter of minutes, he returned with news.

"Two adult Swimmers are grazing nearby."

"Good work. Lead the way."

It wasn't long before Menta heard footsteps in the distance. Dusk was back and carrying two small dinosaurs, a Flying Sharptooth accompanying him.

"Made a new friend, did you?" she asked him.

"I suppose, yeah. Here, you can take this and I'll split this other one with Ceit."

"No, Dusk. You're bigger than me. You need a whole one more than I do."

"If I may interrupt," Ceit cut in. "I'll hunt for my own meal. You two enjoy these."

"If you insist," Dusk said.

"I do," he replied.

After Ceit had left, Dusk explained what had happened.

"How long do you plan on keeping him around?"

"Eh, whenever I get tired of him. Endearment is not something to give up lightly. Anyway, I think I'm going to go for a walk."

"Mind if I join you?" Menta inquired.

"Not at all. Nothing really for you to do around here." With that, the two adult Sharpteeth took off for a relaxing stroll. Little did they know, however, that their walk would be anything but relaxing…

xxxxx

"I hate being an only child. I hate it! Why won't you give me a brother or sister! I've been asking for months! You're the worst parents ever!" a child shouted.

"I'm sorry, son. It's just- complicated," his father replied.

"Tell me why or I'll keep shouting!"

Both of his parents sighed.

"It's not easy raising a son that's so disagreeable," his mother told him.

"We have our hands full with you, and besides that, with the way you treat everyone, we don't think it would be a very happy environment for a new child," his father added.

"Grrr, I hate you all!" That said, the child stormed off in a huff as his parents sadly watched him go. His mother started to follow, but his father stepped in front.

"He's too angry to listen to reason. Let's just let him cool off."

"Alright."

"How dare they not give me a sibling! They don't deserve to be parents!" The child was kicking a rock as he stomped along. Each time, he kicked it harder and harder. Finally, he kicked it so hard that it went soaring threw the air. As he saw where it would land, he tensed up. The rock hit a grown Fast Biter squarely in the head.

"What the- Why you little-" he snarled, having seen the boy.

"Uh, I'm really sorry."

"You'll be even more sorry when you wind up in my belly!" he growled, starting to chase him. Agu ran as fast as he could go, but the Fast Biter caught up quickly. The child turned at a clump of trees and looked back to see the angry adult nearly upon him. However, since he wasn't looking where he was going, he ran into something- someone, to be precise. He fell onto his back from the impact and looked up to see two grown Sharpteeth gazing down at him.

"Don't let him eat me!" he exclaimed, hiding behind Dusk's foot.

"Give the little brat to me, strangers. He's my prey, not yours," the Fast Biter declared.

"Aw, Dusk, we can't let him eat this cute little boy," Menta whispered.

Agu heard her and smiled innocently at them.

"Very well. Leave the boy alone, Fast Biter," Dusk told him.

"How dare you steal my lunch!" the boy's pursuer yelled. But knowing he could not overpower two full-grown Sharpeeth, he went on his way.

"Thanks, guys," the boy said appreciatively.

"Our pleasure, dear," Menta replied with a smile.

"Where are your parents, son?" Dusk questioned. "We'll take you back safely to them."

"My parents? Uh, right. Well, you see, they're- dead! Yeah, that's it! They were killed in that big earthshake that happened not long ago. I don't have a family anymore."

"Oh, Dusk, we have to take him in! We can't let such a young boy face the world alone."

"Sister, be reasonable. We've never parented before."

"No one is prepared to parent before they try," Menta argued.

Dusk let out a heavy sigh. Ceit had just been added to the scene, now his sister wanted another addition.

"I suppose we can look after him for a while."

"Alright! Thanks!"

"Yeah, yeah," Dusk replied. "So what's your name, kid?"

"Agu."

"Dusk, and this is Menta. Anyway, let's head for home. I've walked enough for now."

The three Sharpteeth turned and began to return to the mountain that Dusk and Menta lived on.

"So, are you two mates?" Agu asked them.

"If we weren't siblings, we probably would have ended up getting hitched," Menta said with a laugh. "We're very close."

"I see," Agu replied. "Whoa, look at that! There's a big fight over there!"

However, Dusk and Menta had already noticed it. A single, female, adult Sharptooth was fighting against two Three Horns. Her mate was already dead, killed by the sharp horns.

"Dusk, we have to help her!" Menta exclaimed.

"On it!" Dusk replied. They started to run over, but they were too late. The two leaf-eaters had her corned, and the male finally gouged his horns into her chest, killing her as well.

"Mommy!" a little girl screamed.

The Three Horns were about to kill the child too, but Dusk and Menta overpowered them, killing them quickly. Menta stooped over and picked up the sobbing child.

"Mommy… _Sniff hic_!"

"Oh, Dusk…" Menta trailed off.

"No, no, no! Ceit has moved in with us, and now we have little Agu as well. We aren't switching from two to five in one day." Then Dusk took a good look at the little Sharptooth in his sister's arms. She gazed up at him with a the most pitiful look he'd ever seen.

"Ugh! Fine."

Menta hugged her brother right away then set the girl down.

"Don't worry, dear. We'll take care of you. What's your name?" she asked her.

"_Sniff_ it's Coaley."

"Well, Coaley, I'm Menta, this is my brother Dusk, and the little one here is Agu."

"Thank you so much," she replied, hugging Menta tight.

The group arrived back on the mountain and were greeted by Ceit.

"Who's that guy?" Agu asked.

"Ceit, a friend," Dusk answered.

"Have an interesting walk?" Ceit marveled.

Menta giggled. "You could say that."

Dusk plopped onto the ground. "I'm so tired of my kind being killed off just because our diet is meat. If everyone could live off of plants, there wouldn't be so much trouble in the world."

Menta rested a hand on his shoulder. "That's a nice thought, brother, but it's only something that could happen in dreams. Best not trouble your thoughts with things that could never be."

Dusk sighed. "You are right." Then he suddenly put a hand on his head.

"Dusk, are you alri-" but Menta immediately felt odd as well. Ceit, Agu, and Coaley felt unusual too, and Agu groaned loudly.

Suddenly, Dusk, Menta, and Ceit shrank exponentially. Dusk and Menta were barely bigger than Agu, and Ceit was small enough to perch on one of their shoulders. Everyone let out a cry of surprise. Next, everyone's coloration changed. Dusk was the first one to speak.

"This- power. I don't understand it, but, I feel great!" He turned to a small ledge overlooking a cliff. He gazed down at the shadow it left and shouted, "Shadow Pull!" The ledge quickly gave away and plummeted down to the ground.

"I feel power too," Menta added. "Do you think it is what shrunk us?"

"Has to be. We suddenly became like kids again as soon as we got this power. I wonder, is this a dream?"

Menta came over and pinched him.

"Ow! Couldn't you have pinched yourself?" Dusk asked. Menta only giggled.

"This is so awesome!" Agu exclaimed. "Copy!" Out of nowhere, two more Agus came into view.

"What can the rest of you do?" Dusk asked.

"I can move things with my mind, hear thoughts, and scan for knowledge in other dinosaurs," Menta said.

"I can create things that aren't real that can act on their own, alter how things seem, and change someone's memories," Ceit added.

"I can move things anywhere I've already been," Coaley concluded.

"Greetings," a voice suddenly rang out. Everyone turned to see a Rainbow Face. "You all must be a little confused right now. Allow me to explain."

"Hey, you're a leaf-eating dinosaur!" Agu pointed out. "How come we can understand you?"

"You've all been given a gift. Part of that gift is universal speech. In other words, you can understand any form of communication. But that's not what's important. You now all have abilities thanks to the Stone of Cold Fire. It's power has finally spread enough to reach this spot."

"How can a stone that is cold be on fire?" Menta questioned.

"It isn't really a cold, burning stone. It's a symbolic title. For something to be cold and on fire at the same time means that it must defy nature. The stone defies the boundaries of all that is natural by giving dinosaurs special abilities- magic. Of course, there are a few side effects in most kinds if dinosaurs, as you can see from the new sizes and colors."

"Fascinating. Is there anything else we need to know?" Dusk inquired.

"I've told you all that you need to know about the stone. What I will add is, I could use your help finding it. It was recently hidden somewhere on this mountain."

"It's hidden on this mountain?" Dusk asked. "I'm sure there's some long story involved, but we're not interested. I've had a very busy day, and I'm not up to go searching for some rock. Maybe some other time." Dusk turned to Menta and thought to himself, "You said you can hear thoughts, right? Blink if you heard that." Menta blinked. "Good. Now, he seems to be withholding information about this stone. Scan his mind for what he's not telling us, then tell me in my head."

"Okay," he heard in his thoughts.

She then did so, and Dusk's eyes widened.

"Very well," the Rainbow Face replied in a disappointed tone. "Do you have a psychic in your group?"

"I am," Menta replied. "Why do you ask?"

Dusk mentally sighed. He didn't want this guy knowing what all they could do.

"Excellent. Well, if you ever come across an unusual stone, just contact me telepathically. Well, good-bye for now. Transport!" And with that, he was gone.

"So now what do we do?" Agu asked.

"Well, I-" but Dusk was interrupted by thundering footsteps down below. A large herd of Long Necks was passing by. They came to a stopping point near a clump of trees and started to eat. Two small children came into view and started running away from the others.

"What should we play this time?" the girl asked.

"Rescue," the boy answered.

"Again? Can't we play something else? You always say that."

""It's decided then. I'll run a little bit away then you scream for help. Then I'll come and pretend to fight off Sharpteeth." With that, the boy ran back into the herd and waited for a bit. The girl, being so fed up with rescue, started to walk off.

"I'm curious about that memory changing ability of yours, Ceit. Despite what I told that Rainbow Face, I do hope to find this stone, and we could use as much help as we can get. Ceit, do you think you could alter that little Long Neck's memories to think we raised her from a hatchling?"

"As you wish," Ceit replied, flying off. He flew to a moderate distance over her head, then closed his eyes and concentrated. Finally, he opened his eyes and landed right before her.

"Hey, Ceit," the Long Neck greeted him. "Where are the others? Sorry about wandering off like this."

"Don't worry," he assured her. "Dusk and the others are this way." Ceit then lead her back to the other Sharpteeth.

"Ceit, may I speak to you in private please?" Dusk requested.

"Of course." Then the two of them walked a small distance away.

"Even with our powers, I don't want to risk that herd worrying about their lost one and coming to find her. That many Long Necks are a serious threat even with our powers, especially now that I'm so small. You also mentioned being able to make things that aren't real. When you were in her head altering her memories, were you able to see her old ones?"

"Yes."

"Then, would you be able to make a fake version of her that would act normal enough to stay with that herd?"

"Not a problem." Ceit took off and flew near the Long Necks. Again, he closed his eyes and focused. A dinosaur suddenly appeared on the ground looking just like the girl. Ceit then hastily flew away and watched what she did.

"Where'd you go?" the boy from before called.

"Sorry, Rhett! I just walked a little bit too far. We can keep playing now. Ah, I'm being attacked by Sharpteeth! Save me!" she acted.

Rhett rushed over and started whipping his tail into the air as if he was fighting. Ceit grinned then returned to his friends.

Dusk looked down from above and thought to himself, "Eh, her color is slightly different, but maybe no one will notice."

"Mission accomplished, Dusk. Her name is Ali, by the way," Ceit whispered.

"Excellent job, Ceit. Attention, everyone," Dusk continued. "There is a special stone somewhere on this mountain. I want us all to spread out and start looking for it."

"What does it look like?" Agu asked.

"No idea. Just look for a rock that's unusual." As everyone started to scatter, Menta approached Dusk.

"There is another interesting thing I found in his mind as well. There seems to be some prophecy that someone from this world will try making a wish that will cause trouble, and it would take the combined efforts of seven diverse kids to stop the wish from happening."

"What do you mean, 'Someone of this world'?" Dusk inquired.

"Oh, right. It turns out that that Rainbow Face comes from another world."

"Fascinating. You did very well, Menta. And by the way, I would appreciate it if you didn't read my mind again without permission."

"Thank you, and I promise that I won't. Well, I'll start looking for this stone now too."

The six dinosaurs searched for hours but had no luck. Everyone finally met back up, and Dusk had more to say to them.

"I want all of us occasionally looking for a group of seven kids, each different and living in one place."

Menta raised a brow, but knew that he would explain when he was ready.

"I don't see how my wish would cause any trouble, but there's no harm in being careful," Dusk thought to himself.

Days passed as the group switched off between looking for the stone and looking for those kids. They had no luck with either search. Finally, a familiar face approached Dusk.

"Hello," Rey said to him, who was alone.

"We meet again."

"I noticed that you've been scouring this mountain. I presume you're trying to find the stone now?"

"I don't see how my activities are any of your business."

Rey chuckled. "Then you must be. If you weren't, you'd've surely just said no."

"Perhaps."

"Listen, friend, I don't want any trouble with you. But that stone is property of my kind, and I will see to it that it comes back into our possession."

"I don't recall any forming of friendship between us. And surely you've heard the saying, 'finders keepers'?"

Rey let loose an abrupt chuckling. "So that's how it's going to be, eh?"

"In any case," Dusk said, changing the subject, "what do you think about this world being free of meat-eaters?"

"That would be catastrophic. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. Now if you don't mind, I have things to do."

Dusk met with Rey and eventually Reina as well on numerous occasions after that, each time growing more and more hostile towards each other. One night, as everyone was gathered around, Dusk had something to say to his companions.

"I have a plan to make this world a better place. For now, I only ask that you trust me and follow my orders."

"I'm with you, Dusk," Menta replied.

"I'll follow you anywhere," Ceit added.

"I'm with ya too, Dusky," Coaley chimed it.

"Dusky, huh?" Duck thought, not amused with that nickname.

"I remain loyal to you, Dusk," Ali told him.

"I guess, whatever," Agu concluded. Menta gave him a light but abrupt smack on the head.

"Show some respect," she ordered, and Agu grimaced. Turning to Dusk, she continued, "You make a fine leader. Therefore, I believe that you deserve a title worthy of your position. I will help you achieve any goal you set out to accomplish, my lord."

"Lord, eh? I like the sound of that."


	22. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

In which a father stops before it's too late.

"Okay, it's time for you to hit the sack, kiddo. No way I'm gonna be filling in for a servant tomorrow."

"But- but dad!" How can you stop at a part like this! After all that they've been through together, their friend Littlefoot is now marked for death and is going to be hunted by those Rainbow Faces! That's waaay too big of a cliffhanger to stop at. Please, could you read just a little more? Pleeease?"

His father sighed and was about to reopen the book when he saw a sudden mental image of his wife.

"No can do. Your mother would never let me hear the end of it. Look at it this way. The sooner you settle down and get to sleep, the less time it'll feel like until we pick the story up again tomorrow night."

"I guess so," the child replied sadly.

"That's my boy. Now, good night." He kissed his son on the forehead and headed out.

When he got to his room, he found his wife lying up in bed reading a book.

"You barely made it. In less than two minutes, you would have been up past curfew. I had already pictured _two_ servants of mine that could have used a day off."

He gulped and slowly lied down on their bed, pulling up the blanket gently so as not to do anything to disturb her.

"Why couldn't I have just dated a little longer? Haste makes waste. I just had to ignore that proverb on the most crucial choice of my life."

"Good night, dear."

"G-good night to you as well, sweet heart. Love you."

"You'd better."

**The End**

**To be continued in "The Land Before Time: Struggle of the Seven Heroes."**

**Thank you for reading. The Land Before Time and all affiliated characters belong to Universal Cartoon Studios. Any characters that did not appear in a movie or television episode are owned by me.**

**Important!**

**Author's note:** This site's default search engine for a specific category is to look through stories rated K-T. To find stories rated M, one has to either select the M rating manually or pick all ratings at once. The reason I am saying this is because part three of my trilogy is rated M, so to be able to find it when I finish writing it, you will have to adjust the search options.


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